Is your adolescent experimenting with drug abuse? Are you suspecting that they are? Understanding what your teenager is really going through is your first step in giving them the help they need.
Here are the common reasons that teens experiment with illegal drugs:
- Bored
When your child is not being deeply interested in anything productive, they can be curious about drugs, alcohol, and even smoking. These are common options they tend to explore. Get your child to involve in extra-curricular activities in school or getting part-time work so they can be busy with something productive.
- Peer bonding
Teenagers are highly sociable beings and in most cases, they would want to be with their peers than elsewhere. Being with a group can give them confidence, even if such a group is involved in using substances. Try to encourage your child to participate in school clubs or sports group to have a positive peer influence.
- Depression
When teens get broken-hearted or when they go through issues that they have difficulty talking about, they turn to alcohol or drugs to numb their pain even temporarily. If you notice your child experimenting, try to consider if they’ve been depressed.
- Losing weight
Some teens use drugs to help them lose weight, especially if they’ve been bullied about it. Female teenagers can especially be body-conscious, so they can opt for desperate attempts just to reduce their weight and feel attractive.
- Stress
Some teens turn to drugs to relax them. The feeling of temporary high can give them a distraction from their overwhelming deadlines in school and challenges at home and in relationships.
- Self-esteem issues
Most, if not all, teenagers are very particular about their physical appearance. This can be worsened by the influence of media and social media. When they’re feeling low about themselves, indulging in drugs can be an escape route for them.
- Seizing the moment
Some teenagers feel that they have to be able to experience everything so they know what they’ve been missing out on. This intent can turn to drugs s they will try to experiment once or twice.
Do you think that your teenager is experimenting with illegal drug use? As a Teen Rehabilitation in Los Angeles, California, we would like to validate that this discovery in your child can be very stressful to you as parents. In most cases, you might even find yourself guilty about not being able to check on your child as well as you should. However, in these events, finger-pointing doesn’t resolve anything. We encourage you to find ways to talk to your child.
Our experienced counselors in our Teen Treatment Center in Los Angeles can help walk you through vital interventions so that your child can overcome their addiction. If you have questions that need answering, we can assist you with them. Feel free to approach and share your concerns with us at Teen Drug Addiction. Remember: As long as your child breathes, hope is always available for them.
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