How to Know If Your Teenager is Taking Drugs

Are there symptoms? What are they?

What would motivate a young person to experiment with drugs?

There are several reasons.

Peer pressure. Your child's friends are probably the strongest influence. They have the drugs. Your child wants to be popular. He or she doesn't want to be an outcast. Taking drugs will help your child fit in.

Excitement. There is a movement for danger and adventure. 'No Fear!,' they chant. They jump from bridges tied to bungee cords. They parasail. They take dangerous chances skateboarding. Life is their adventure. Drugs are freedom from rules.

Anxiety. Stress in school. The push to succeed. Your expectations. Too many pressures.

Adolescence. Having to deal with expectations. Am I a homosexual? Am I straight? How will I be viewed by my friends? Does he like me? Why was I dumped? Should I have sex? What if I get pregnant?

School. Some feel that drugs will help them concentrate better. Life seems more interesting. Schoolwork isn't so boring.

Depression. There are more and more young people who can't cope with the scene of the ever changing world. Recession. Global warming. War and the draft. Unemployment. College. Graduation and responsibility. These pressures can mentally and emotionally exhaust our young.

Escape. All these things and more pile on top of the young one's mind. Drugs help them escape from the stress of daily life.

So the risk is high. Yes, your child may resort to drugs to take the pressure away.

What are the typical signs of drug abuse?

Notice any changes in their behavior.

Is he or she becoming slovenly, unkempt, or changing appearance in another disturbing way?

Has there been a drop in grades or study habits?

Is there a change in associations? Do you know his or her friends?

Is the child having problems sleeping or do they feel sluggish, slow to respond? Do they seem uncaring or distant?

Or are they becoming more aggressive or rebellious?

Are they depressed or do they have a low opinion of themselves?

Does your family have a history of drug or alcohol abuse?

What can you do to prevent it?

Talk to your young one, frankly, tactfully, and respectfully. Don't belittle them. If you downgrade them, they will turn away and find someone else to confide in. And that person can't possibly love them and care for them as much as you do, can they? You need to be your child's friend.

Lock the medicine cabinet. Yes, this implies you don't trust your child, but it's a tough world. Do it anyway.

Check your teenager's spending habits. Monitor their credit card usage. Check their mail deliveries. See what they do on the internet. Know that many online pharmacies don't ask for identification, or don't check thoroughly. Your teen may be able to get medicine online without anyone else knowing.

Provide better friends. Find wholesome associates for your children and invite them to your home or to an outing.

Don't drive your children beyond their abilities. Don't add too many extracurricular activities. Don't compare them with their siblings or other people.

Don't degrade them, especially in public.

Provide enough upbuilding activities to crowd out the unwholesome ones: books and educational materials, spiritual values, and most importantly, you. You should always be accessible.

Give them boundaries. Don't be afraid to 'hem them in.' Not a stone wall, but a fence. Tell them where the limits are and stick to them. Didn't you appreciate that with your parents? Didn't you bulk at their restrictions? But, don't you appreciate them today?

Don't give in. If you know your teen is entering dangerous waters and is requesting more freedom, you see the red lights, and you are afraid, hold your ground. Let them know how you feel. You are afraid, you love them, and you really don't want to see them get hurt.

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Source:

Awake! Magazine, "Parents, Protect Your Children", May 2009