Help for Teenagers With Drug Problems

The number of teenagers with drug problems has reached an alarming rate. The Teen Drug Use website states that alcohol kills five times more teens than all drugs combined. Teens today have easy access to alcohol and other illicit substances. Dealers carry cocaine, ecstasy and other drugs and don't care who they profit from. Teens are easily influenced into taking drugs, so talk to your teen and get involved in her life in a positive way. This can be the first step in preventing a long, destructive road. Early intervention can prevent permanent damage or death.

Causes

• There are many reasons why a teenager may choose to use drugs. The friendships and cliques that teens develop in middle school and high school can lead to peer pressure, and often teens are pressured into trying drugs. A genetic dependency may develop, particularly if the child's mother took drugs during pregnancy. Mental instability can also trigger a drug cycle. Researchers at Medical News state that people who suffer from bipolar disorder often overuse antidepressants to relieve themselves of pain. There are also no legal antidepressants prescribed for the depression phase in bipolar disorders. This can lead not only to severe addiction, but physical and mental deterioration. If parents are drug abusers themselves, a teen may perceive this as normal behavior and have access to the drugs from his own home. Often when family life is nonexistent or abusive, drug use can be a temporary escape to life's difficulties.

Signs

• To figure out if your teen is using drugs, meet her circle of friends. Personalities can alternate quickly with drugs abusers, so be aware of a sudden change in habits, like if your daughter is no longer attending sports practice or eating her favorite foods. The Drug Free website lists other signs, such as a decrease in the quality of schoolwork or skipping out at work. Constant lying, sneaking out at night or being constantly dazed can be signs that your teen is taking drugs, as well as more obvious factors, such as a change in physical appearance (either a smaller or larger figure change). If valuable items your teen once loved are disappearing, it could be that she is selling those items to support her drug dependency. If any of these signals have occurred, it is imperative to confront your teen about drug use.

Help

• Although the realization that your child is on drugs can be difficult, openly confront your teen and give him time to explain any odd behavior, rather accusing or sneaking around his room to look for proof. If the situation continues and you see your teen's behavior escalate negatively, then a search and seizure of the drug items is warranted. If you are considering rehab for your teen, do not make the mistake of sending him to an adult rehab center, but thoroughly research your options, and find a suitable teenage-based center. Having other teens in similar situations and ages your teen can relate to without being embarrassed will ease the healing process. Schooling-in centers are also a good way to get your teen back into a healthier lifestyle and bring focus back into their lives, according to the Teen Drug Rehab Program's Addiction Treatment for Teenagers site.

  Interventions, counseling, meetings and group therapy sessions at local schools or colleges can be a great aid too. The Watershed in Florida is a credible rehabilitation center, where they offer a varied list of detoxification programs from alcohol to hard drugs. Groups like SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions, or NIDA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse have strong backgrounds in helping teens. Call support sites such as the National Drug Abuse Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP or 1-800-662-4357, which have open phone lines for teens and anyone else with a drug problem.