You think your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol, but you can’t be sure of it. He or she is behaving oddly and aloof. Or maybe you’ve caught your kid doing drugs or drinking, and you wonder how this could have happened. You’ve tried very hard to be a great parent. You’ve always provided for your child and made sure he or she always had what he or she needed, so you’re at a loss how your kid could become addicted. The problem is you’re terribly embarrassed by the situation and you don’t know who to talk to. Your friends all seem to have perfect lives and couldn’t possibly understand why you have a troubled child. But you can’t just let this continue and you need more information before making a decision on what to do for your child. You’ve worked so hard to take care of your family that you really don’t know how you got here.
My Kid Can’t Be an Addict!
You may be thinking that your kid can’t be a drug addict because he or she isn’t exposed to drugs, but the reality is that kids from all walks of life are constantly exposed to drugs and alcohol. In 2014, 66 percent of children tried alcohol by the time they were a senior in high school. Almost 50 percent of high school seniors have tried illegal drugs some time within their lives and almost 40 percent had used them within the past year. These alarming statistics show availability is everywhere and so it is no surprise if one’s child has a problem with substance abuse.
Getting More Information
So, if drugs are fairly common, how do you know whether your kid is going through a phase or if he or she is really doing drugs? Adolescents, tend to not talk to their parents about their problems and tend to talk with anyone else other than their parents. This is part of normal behavior of young adolescents and teenagers as they start to assert their individuality and exercise their freedoms. By talking to teachers, children whom your child hangs out with, and especially the parents of your child’s friends, you can get a better idea of how your child behaves. Knowing the parents and talking to them about your child and their children may give you a better idea as to what your child is up to.
Know Your Community
It’s not surprising that you can learn a lot by talking to parents of other children. You can learn, for example, what’s happening in your community in terms of trouble and drugs. You can also learn who the troublemakers in your community are when it comes to children and steer your kid away from them. Although children act like they don’t want their parents to know anything, the reality is a parent is the first person a child looks up to. By being a role model, knowing whom your kids hang out with, and where your kids are at, you can discover whether your child has a problem or not. Sometimes just talking to another parent can give you peace of mind, or reinforce that which you already know. Sometimes another parent can give you a perspective on things that you didn’t expect. You may learn how other parent handle certain situations and whether or not they are successful. To learn more about our addiction treatment services, give us a call at 877-466-0620.
Sources:
- Monitoring the Future Study: Trends in Prevalence of Various Drugs, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015, http://www.drugabuse.gov/trends-statistics/monitoring-future/monitoring-future-study-trends-in-prevalence-various-drugs
- Helping Your Child through Early Adolescence, US Department of Education, https://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/adolescence/adolescence.pdf
- Growing up Drug Free: A Parent’s Guide to Prevention, US Department of Education, http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/oshs/growingupdrugfree.pdf