A National Epidemic
Drugs are often used as a way to block out past trauma or experience, and when you’re close to the person who is taking drugs, it can be difficult to know exactly how you can help and support them. You’re not alone: research suggests that approximately 1.8 million children between the ages 12 to 17 years old in the United States need substance abuse treatment because they are regularly using illegal substances. However, whilst such a huge amount of children are in need of medical and professional support for their problems with drug use, only 150,000 actually get the help they need. What these teens need then is their parental support to get them the help they need, no matter how difficult that journey might be, not enabling to continue taking drugs or drinking alcohol.
So what should you do if you suspect that your teen is using drugs? The first thing you need to do is act: drug use is a very serious problem, and not one that you general can deal with at home without any professional support. You may be worried about accusing your child of drug use without just cause, but parental instinct is usually correct, and it is better to be over cautious than to let the problem escalate.
Drug addiction comes with stigma attached unfortunately, with can stop many parents from acting straight away. You are likely to feel ashamed of your child and feel that their addiction reflects badly on you. However you should let that stigma stop you from acting as soon as possible: this will cause your child more harm than good. In order to fight the drug addiction your child is facing you need to be strong and fight for the life of your child, regardless of what others might think of you.
To find out more about the role loving parents play in enabling drug addiction, continue reading here.
Written By Mel Carver