My Child Does Drugs: What Should I Do?
Accepting that your child does drugs and deciding to face it with courage is the first step. Let’s lay all the cards on the table to find the best way to help teens with drug addictions.
When adolescence arrives, drug use is one of the major concerns that parents face. If you suspect that your child does drugs, the following article will provide you with useful information and advice.
It’s becoming easier and easier for teens to get drugs, and adolescence is a stage when teens are trying to figure out their identity. Therefore, they want to feel accepted, which is why they’re easily influenced.
Teens are the group most vulnerable to using narcotics. The truth is, it’s a stage of physical, emotional, psychological and sociological development. Therefore, they’re more sensitive to falling into any type of addiction.
Possible reasons why your child does drugs
Imitation
It’s very common for teens to do what they see others do, and this doesn’t only mean friends. If people in their family do drugs or think legal or illegal drug use is normal, it might be a reason why your child does drugs too.
False sense of security
They’ve grown, their body has changed, and they think they’re on top of the world. Additionally, they think that nothing can hurt them. Generally, they think they have a lot of power, even though they’re afraid of everything changing. Therefore, they’re more daring and want to be in control at all times.
Rebellion
They’re trying to see how far they can push the boundaries. They want to find their individuality and break away from their family. In addition, teens want to experience and try new things.
The first thing you should do is check if your child does drugs. Just being suspicious isn’t enough to act. If you’re wrong, you could damage your relationship and their trust.
Warning signs
These are clues in your child’s behavior that might tell you that something is happening:
- Sleeping more than usual
- Irritability and bad moods, which might result in outbursts of anger
- Look at their eyes and check the size of their pupils. Then, see if they’re dilated or too small
- Abnormal behaviors, like lying or stealing
I’m positive my child does drugs, now what do I do?
Of course, this is a very hard time for the whole family. It’s normal for you to feel frustrated, helpless, upset, sad, angry and even guilty. However, it’s important to act.
Talk to your child
Try not to be too dramatic or make him feel guilty. Don’t use phrases like: “I’m disappointed in you.” In fact, that will only make the situation worse. You need him to trust you to help him, so you’ll need to use a little extra empathy.
You need to know what your child’s drug use is like. Find out if he only tried it once, does it occasionally or does it regularly. You’ll need to be honest and follow up afterward.
“Often, teens think that nothing can hurt them. Generally, they think they have a lot of power, even though they’re afraid of everything changing. Therefore, they’re more daring and want to be in control at all times.”
Get help if your child does drugs
We must be very clear that this isn’t a situation that you can face without experts who support and guide the whole family. You need to have all of the information about the drug that your child uses. They can tell you how it can affect your child, what kind of addiction it causes, etc.
It’s not enough to just know that drugs are bad. You need to understand the damage they do to your brain, circulatory system, respiratory system, and psychological state.
Keep in mind that you explaining the damage to your child isn’t as effective as a professional. Go to a health center. There, a doctor can explain the risks and will do an analysis and evaluation to refer you to a specialist, if necessary.
Psychological help is also very important, not only for your child, but others that live with the problem, like parents and siblings. It’s a very difficult time, and the family as a whole suffers.
A healthy lifestyle
Now more than ever, your child needs to start healthy habits in his routine:
- Eat healthy and nutritious food
- Drink lots of water
- Encourage some physical activity, like playing sports or exercising
- Find alternatives, hobbies, or new inspiration
- Make sure to get enough sleep
You need to be very clear and set strong, firm and loving limits. This isn’t a game, and your child needs to know that his actions can have serious consequences. On the other hand, your love and understanding will be more important than ever. Therefore, be compassionate and open to always listen.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Espada, J. P., Méndez, X., Griffin, K., & Botvin, G. J. (2003). Adolescencia: consumo de alcohol y otras drogas. Papeles del psicólogo, 84(9), 17.
- Cicua, D., Méndez, M., & Ortega, L. M. (2008). Factores en el consumo de alcohol en adolescentes. Pensamiento psicológico, 4(11), 115-134. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=3091227
- Avellaneda, A. S., Pérez, M. E. G., & Font-Mayolas, S. (2010). Patrones de consumo de alcohol en la adolescencia. Psicothema, 22(2), 189-195. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/727/72712496003.pdf
- Inglés, C. J., Delgado, B., Bautista, R., Torregrosa, M. S., Espada, J. P., García-Fernández, J. M., … & García-López, L. J. (2007). Factores psicosociales relacionados con el consumo de alcohol y tabaco en adolescentes españoles. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 7(2), 403-420. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/337/33717060010.pdf