Damien Shurst

Teen substance abuse is not something to be taken lightly. There are many temptations, from alcohol to prescription drugs to illegal substances. What do you as a parent do to prevent your child from becoming involved in the use of drugs? Here are some ideas that will help.

Teen Substance Use: Begin by educating yourself

Parents must be aware of the various problems that surround substance abuse among teens. It is important to recognize indications such as changes in personality, interests, abandonment of old friends and other things. If your teenager exhibits any of these signs of teen drug abuse, you can swiftly act immediately.

Parents should also be aware of different kinds of substances that draw the most attention from teens today. This includes knowing how substances can alter behavior and the possible damage to one or more organs.

Be aware of how certain factors can increase the chance of substance abuse.

Some of the risk factors include:

Pre-existing mental illness - An anxiety or depression disorder could cause addiction.

Trauma - When a traumatic event occurs and your child is having trouble coping with it, you may be able seek out alcohol or drugs for assistance.

The environment - Even if have a close relative suffering from an addiction, it could encourage your teenager to follow in his or her steps.

Take a Good Look At Your Own Behavior

What about your own behavior and actions? Are you displaying your actions or words that show you are ok with indulgence? This needs to change.

Set an example for people who consume alcohol. Limiting your consumption at any given moment. It's different to have one glass of wine with dinner as opposed to consuming a full six-pack within an hour. If you're planning to go to an event, it is important to pace your drinking so that you are still sober at the time you return home to your children.

Do not exceed doses that are prescribed for prescription medicines. Make sure that you explain the possible side effects if the medication is mixed with alcohol. It is important to set an example for your teenager and also encourage them to exercise. Your child will not use substances if you offer them book on addiction prevention.

Open Communication Matters

It is crucial that your teenager be able to talk with you about anything and not feel that they are being judged. Similar to that you must be able to talk with your teen about anything. This type of open communication will go a long ways towards helping your teenager feel free to talk about problems they encounter at school or the pressures that come with growing older. Concentrate on the issueat hand, not on your feelings about your child. The truthful conversations are often able in squelching any urge to try alcohol or drugs.

Family Time is equally important.

While spending time with your teen's friends is crucial making time for family is equally important. A movie, playing a game, or taking a day trip somewhere are some ways to be able to spend time with your family and yet still have their own personal life. This allows your children to remember that they're important to the whole family. Those outings also provide you with a chance to notice what's bothering your teen or if there's something different in his or her temperament.

Encourage participation in adult-supervised activities

Sports, theater and even volunteering after school are just a few examples of adult-supervised activities that your teen will enjoy. They could have a great social circle, get to know new people, and experience something that makes them less likely to be tempted to drink or alcohol. A lot of these activities help build confidence in themselves. This also helps your children to not see any reason to abuse any kind of substance.

Meet your Teen's Friends and families

Although you don't have to make friends with your teen's friends or even their parents, it's important to be familiar with them enough to be able to engage in a pleasant chat every now and again. It's easy to discern clues about how their families operate. Also, what sort of ethics and values are exhibited in their homes. It also provides a great network to help teenagers to discover things to do other than experimenting with alcohol or drugs.

Keep a list of prescription and Over the Counter Medications

Although you'd like to be able to trust your teen, that doesn't mean remaining unaware of the things that might take place at home. If you store alcohol within the home You might want to consider keeping the cabinet locked. It is crucial to keep track of all the items that is in your cabinet. It's a good idea to look over the contents of each bottle to ensure it's not diluted.

This is also true for bathroom medicine cabinets in bathrooms. You must know what's in the cabinet and how many pills you need. It is recommended to secure the cabinet if there are any substances that could be addictive.

Conclusion

You can help your teen avoid any type of teen drug abuse. Contact a counselor therapist right away. Find out what the latest trending drug is and how to obtain it. Although you aren't able to protect your teen from drugs and alcohol however, it is possible to have the support they need to say no.