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Worried About Your Teenager?You may have seen some behavioral or emotional changes in your teenager that have you worried. You might also be asking yourself if there is more going on than you know about. Worst fears, of course, are that there may be some drug or alcohol dependency issues forming. If that’s the case, it’s important to figure out what’s going on and try to prevent it from becoming a significant or life-altering problem later on. In this article we’ll look at how you might identify substance abuse in your teenager and what to do about it: Experimentation or Addiction? It’s not uncommon for teenagers to experiment with drugs, but it’s important to remember that risk-taking is an important part of teen brain development. Experimentation does not mean that they will become an addict. There are all sorts of reasons for teens to start experimenting with drugs such as:
Drug Abuse Signs To Look Out For Loss of interest in school or a drop in grades Have they been skipping classes or skipping school completely? Has their academic progress started to suffer? Have any of their teachers expressed concern? They spend most of the week at school, and any changes or feedback from this environment should be noted. A change in appearance and personal hygiene Do they look different? Are they taking less care of themselves and their appearance? It’s not uncommon, particularly with substances that might affect their sense of motivation or disrupt their sleep to find them exhibiting less care for their personal appearance. Secretive behavior and lying Are they always honest about where they go and who they see? Do they disappear suddenly in the evenings to ‘“go and see a friend” briefly and then return? Secretive behaviors, disappearances and lying about who they were with and where they have been are typical of substance abuse behaviors. These behaviors indicate that they’re trying to cover their tracks and hide their activities from you. The smell of smoke or marijuana It shouldn’t be too hard to pick up the distinctive smell of some drugs on their breath, clothes, and hair. This is one of the most obvious pieces of evidence that regular drug abuse may be occurring. So you suspect drug use; what do you do next? There is always plenty of professional help and support available such as Ignite Teen - Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment. This is specifically designed to help teenagers overcome substance abuse issues while supporting their families. At home, you should engage in non-judgmental communication. If you can get an honest conversation with them going about what they’ve been doing, then the process of helping them to recover will be infinitely easier. Try to avoid blame, shouting, or a confrontational approach as this may convince them to shut down and not share or discuss the problem with you. Once you have their ear, it will be far easier to move them to a therapy or support situation, which will also make it far less likely that they will revert to old behaviors after any treatment. CommentsComments are closed.
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