Posts Tagged teen drug addiction

New Canaan Parents Unite Against Teen Substance Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction, Raising Healthy Kids on May 8th, 2010

In New Canaan, Connecticut, a group of parents have taken it upon themselves to come together against teen substance abuse. Their action plan involves reaching out to parents like themselves through workshops that will revolve around parent-children relationships, including how to communicate with one’s kids about sensitive issues.

parent-teen relationshipA feature on the New Canaan Patch shares the objectives of the group, which as yet does not have a name to go by. A core group of parents have received training and are equipped with materials to lead intensive 12-hour workshops. The effort is spearheaded by Robert Curry, who was quoted with the following statement: “You don’t just go directly at addressing alcohol and substance abuse, you have to go back and lay the groundwork with the parents, to give them the tools to parent.”

The group will be spreading the word about the workshops through churches, libraries and community groups. The sessions are scheduled to start in the fall, although there are a couple of summer workshops in the works: there will be one for parents of kids being treated at the Silver Hill Hospital and another for adults in 12-step programs.

The group does not expect the effort to be a walk in the park. One of the parents who have been certified as workshop leaders is Diane Blasco, and she shared: “I think it will be challenging getting the people who really need to be at these programs… I think that’s always the issue—a lot of times you have to wait for a crisis to occur before you even know you have a problem.”

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Avoid Teen Drug Addiction by Bonding with the Family

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Prevention, Drug Addiction, Raising Healthy Kids on April 18th, 2010

In many occasions, teenagers take drugs only out of curiosity or boredom. Sometimes, that can’t be helped, given that the adolescence is when individuals begin to explore parts of themselves that were otherwise unknown during most of their childhood.

family activitiesBut we often forget the family’s impact on a teenager’s life. The love and support of a family can help a teenager forget about trying drugs. Doing some activities together is a great way of channeling their attention away from drug abuse, and the activities don’t need to be that complex to be effective. For instance, the simple act of having dinner together will not only fill everyone’s stomachs, but also provide a venue for better communication in the family.

Doing some physical activities together can also help a teenager avoid drug addiction. Strenuous tasks such as hiking, swimming, and playing sports relieve an individual’s stress and aid in releasing a ton of internal aggression or angst. Family members can also reconnect with each other a lot more during this time; remember that actions speak louder than words, and this will be all action.

The family plays a great role in an individual’s growth and development. Efforts to curb drug addiction through fun activities help a lot, and although they may not seem to work at first, perseverance and open communication with each other are key to finding out the reasons for the teenager’s drug habit. Have dinner together. Do some hiking. Swim. Play some sports. It would not hurt to at least try.

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Keep Alert on the Early Signs of Teen Drug Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction, Raising Healthy Kids on January 18th, 2010

You can’t blame your teen too much for wanting to try drugs at some point in his life. Doing drugs has become sort of a social thing these days, and the best way to help your teen avoid drugs is to discover the signs of addiction before he goes in too deep with drugs.

teen drug abuseYou may find your teen displaying signs of erratic behavior, especially during the first few months of drug use. He may seem more secretive than usual, demanding privacy over the littlest of things. He may tend to go to more secluded places, and may lock himself in a room for an indefinite period of time for apparently no reason at all.

The next sign you have to watch out for is his physical appearance. While drugs may not have a direct impact on one’s grooming, he may start showing signs of caring less for his appearance and more for his craving and addiction. He may start to bathe less than usual.

He may also start to become more and more aggressive as time passes by. This can be the result of prolonged withdrawal from drugs, and he may become violent as the craving intensifies. If any of these signs occur, immediately confirm your teen’s condition by having them go through a drug test. If the results show positive, then it may be time to seek professional help and treatment.

Be vigilant in recognizing the signs of teen drug abuse. Help him end it early and save his life.

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Challenge to Raising Drug-Free Kids: Overindulgent Parents

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Prevention, Raising Healthy Kids on January 8th, 2010

A child  is usually his or her parents’ apple of the eye.  When children are brought to this world, the parents stop, reflect and decide to change the course of their lives to give their offspring a better future. It is normal for a mother to never want to part from her child and to raise the same with the highest ideals. The father will also naturally want to give everything to his little bundle of joy.

spoiled kidsParents always wish to send their children to the best schools, clothe them with the best brands, buy them their Playstation or Nintendo Wii or iPod or iPhone even if somebody’s entire paycheck has to be blown on any of them.  Parents can be irrational when it comes to showering their children with love and more often than not, this irrationality can bring about far-from-innocent consequences.

When children always get what they want, the importance of self-gratification is heightened and the reality that some things will not be good for them is never learned. Hence, when they want something, they’ll want it regardless of the consequences it may bring.

When raised by overindulgent parents, children tend to overindulge by themselves and if, by their teenage years, they start touching drugs, it could be very difficult to pull them out of the habit. Children who are not used to self-denial will find it hard to resist the temptation of drugs later on.

While it’s normal for a parent to want to give the world to his child, it’s essential that things are reined into their right perspectives.  Even if it means refusing to take everyone to Disneyland this summer, it must be done because children need to know that there are things they will have to take a ‘no’ for and this is simply a fact of life they have to live with whether they like it or not.

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Peer Pressure and Drug Abuse in Teens

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction on November 27th, 2009

These days, many teenagers have found their way to drugs. Perhaps it can be said that mass media played a significant role in influencing the drug use of teenagers today, but that is beside the point here. However, looking at how adolescents begin this habit is a matter that must definitely be looked into.

So, how does teenage drug use usually begin? To answer this properly, let us look at the user in question: the teenager. Remember that teenagers are known for being headstrong, sometimes rebellious, and that they experiment in a lot of different things in order to establish their identity in the world. However, not all of these experiences are necessarily good, and some lose themselves because of it.

teen drug abuseIn establishing this sense of identity, teenagers look to their peers as their reference groups and  they look up to them in order to define for themselves what being “cool” means, even if these same peers are known drug users.

Here, contact between the adolescent and the peer group can influence him to participate in drug use. He would then proceed to try rather than risk being labeled as “uncool”, a label that he would much prefer not to have for the length of his adolescent life.

Of course, the more the teenager gets into drug use, the harder it is to get out. The negative effects would include physical changes, mental instability, as well as adverse behavior. And the sad thing about it is that his peer group will not support him emotionally if he has fallen too far down the path of addiction.

In this way, peer pressure is also a factor that can determine the teenager’s drug use, especially since it is during this stage that the sense of self-identity is nurtured. If you’re also a teenager who is pressured by your friends to do it, think for a moment — Are you really willing to throw your life away this easily, merely based on not wanting to be labeled “uncool” if you don’t smoke pot, or sniff coke? Think about it, and better think hard.

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Why Teens Are Susceptible to Drug Abuse

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction on November 17th, 2009

Several studies have revealed that teenagers are especially susceptible to drug use. While peer pressure may play a large role in this, there are also other factors to consider about this issue. Factors such as their psychosocial development and maturity level play a part as well.

teen drug abuseDuring adolescence, teenagers tend to be rash and headstrong. While this kind of behavior is what makes a teenager a teenager, there are in fact biological facts that can support this claim. Brain development during this stage begins to go on a rapid rate, and the decision-making, self-control and judgment parts of the brain start to change as well. Sometimes, teenagers don’t cope with this change well, and a lot of anxiety can result from being unable to cope with these changes.

Here, the teenager’s sense of what is right and wrong may be impaired for a while, and the frustration that can result from this may take a long time to completely disappear, if it actually does. Those seeking an escape to this sometimes do drugs, which is a clear sign of desperation to get away from the harsh realities of life.

Because adolescence is a period of transition from child to adult, the individual’s sense of maturity can change as well. The natural inclination during early adolescence is to go out and try and do activities for adults. These activities may include sex, alcohol, marijuana and other drugs.

The lack of understanding of the nature of these matters can lead teenagers to destroy their lives. Here, the importance of educating the young adolescent properly on drug abuse, drug effects, drug testing and drug rehabilitation becomes important, as most drug users don’t have the know-how of the effects of drug use in the long run.

Growing up can be quite painful, but it is important to make the teenager realize that delving into drugs doesn’t make life any better. Knowing the adolescent’s reasons for using drugs can aid a lot in significantly reducing the rate of drug addiction.

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