Teenage years are a tough time to navigate for both the parent and the teenager, There is a lot of emotional and physical turmoil. Put this against the backdrop of the world where the media normalizes and sensationalizes drug use, and it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

The menace of drugs has always been breathing down on parents worldwide for decades now. Despite the activism and awareness, national surveys (2016) in the USA show that 14.3% of 12th graders use drugs while the numbers are a tad lower at 5.4 % in 8th grade and 9.8% in 10th grade. Television, news media and movies, all glorify the drug culture in their own manner. With the ever-growing debate over the Marijuana as an illicit drug, teenagers have conflicting sources of information on drugs.

Teenage Drug Abuse

Teenagers doing drugs is not uncommon. However, parents are always sure that it won’t happen to their teenager. This is the reason why most parents don’t know how to deal with teenage drug use. The most important thing to understand is why teenagers use drugs at all.

Most people don’t start off using drugs wanting to get addicted to them. It starts off with the intention to just try, or simply to get high. It is a momentary decision made due to the environment and opportunity available at that particular moment. The drug feels good and instantly gives a high to the user. This high is nothing but ‘dopamine’, or the chemical that is responsible for the ‘feel good’ factor. Dopamine is released whenever you enjoy something – it could be food, shopping or even spending time with a loved one.

Drugs have a tendency to release this dopamine at a faster rate. It is this feeling of high and pleasure that the teenager gets hooked on to. This eventually leads to a spiral where users need stronger drugs to achieve the same high because the tolerance increases every single time!

Signs of Teenage Drug Abuse

Not every teen using drugs shows the same signs. It depends on the kind of drug they are using as well as the frequency. Some of the signs that you should look out for:

• Your teenage child starts hanging out with different people; he/she finds new friends or doesn’t tell you much about his / her friends
• Your child doesn’t communicate much with you and is usually withdrawn and spends time alone
• There’s a change in your child’s school grades – he/she suddenly starts performing badly
• You child doesn’t turn up at the school or misses classes
• Your child is not interested in the hobbies he/she used to pursue
• Your child becomes moody, irritable, or showcases extreme behavior – which can even border on being aggressive
• Your child starts lying often about his / her whereabouts or with whom they are spending time with
• Your child seems tired and lethargic, with extended periods of sleep and being awake
• There’s a change of appearance in your child and inexplicable scars and injuries
• There are sores on the face and body of your child
• Your child is caught stealing money or valuables

While these are just some of the signs, you should understand more about each drug and how it affects the body to be aware if your teenager is using drugs.

Teenage Drug Abuse – What to Do

There is a lot of teenage drug abuse information online. However, by the time you accept the reality that your teenager is using drugs and then find this information, it’s a case of too little too late. Here is what to do if your teenager is using drugs:

• Accept them unconditionally: Teenagers are emotionally immature and have to grapple issues without the confidence of adults. This is the reason why they turn to drugs in the first place. When you first learn of their drug use, do not admonish them or criticize them. This will more often than not turn them back to the drug use. Instead, accept them completely and tell them that you will get over this together.
• Have the talk: This maybe just one talk or several talks but the idea is to directly let them know that you are aware of their drug use. Try to understand and communicate why they are using drugs. You may learn a lot from a conversation about how your teenager perceives life and what their issues are. Your teenager needs to realize that this is a problem on their own and how it is affecting the quality of their life. Only when ownership is accepted can there be a way ahead!
• Change the environment: The problem is not going to go away overnight. You and your teenager are going to have to work extensively on ensuring they are free of drugs. If they are truly addicted to drugs, then despite what they say, they cannot stop using drugs immediately. Get to the core and cut off the supply of the drugs. They most likely have a dealer who is pushing more and stronger drugs to them. You need to become more involved in their life and work with them to create a plan to stop their dependence on drugs.
• Get professional help: You cannot do everything on your own. You and your teenager need help from professionals. Instead of hiding it as a shameful family secret, involve the school counselor and community centers which offer help with drug rehabilitation. Recognize how deep the problem is and if needed, enroll your teenager into a clinic
• Replace and reform: While it’s just not possible to replace the drug with anything else, you still need to help your teenager find a distraction and a pleasurable activity. Regular exercise is a great way to cope with drug use, as it releases endorphins that dull the pain associated with withdrawal.

Embrace the situation and help your teenager get over his / her drug abuse. Remember that it is not going to disappear magically; you are going to need a lot of patience and work to get out of this situation. A lot of love and care, coupled with patience and understanding, is a sure-shot recipe to help your child overcome this dreadful phase in his / her life