Your child’s teenage years are a time for them to explore new things and develop their own identities. Unfortunately for mothers and fathers, this also usually includes a natural distancing of themselves from their parents, who previously enjoyed a much more transparent relationship with their children. When taking into account the growing number of drug abuse amongst teenagers these days, many parents make the mistake of becoming too overbearing and causing their children to rebel and delve deeper into experimentation with varioust substances.
The best weapon that you can be armed with to combat this is knowledge – knowledge of the symptoms of various drug abuse, and knowledge of the probability of the use of a specific type of drug. Understanding what type of substance your child may be abusing and why will help open up the lines of communications with them… an approach much more effective than the “traditional” approach of alienating them by raiding their rooms and punishing them for whatever it is you find… a tactic that has proven time and again to have failed. Remember, communication is the key to success. More tips on talking to your teen about addiction.
Post and infographic provided by AddictionTreatment.org.
I agree knowledge is helpful. I’d also add compassion – remembering what it was like to have ‘been there’ can go a long way in developing an alliance to having someone listen to you.