Teenage Substance Abuse

by Online Safety Tips on 04/02/10 at 1:49 pm

During the transition from child to teen and teen to adult many changes occur physically, emotionally and intellectually.

These changes can be difficult for even the most together well-rounded child.

For parents it is sometimes hard to know whether these natural progressions explain teenage behavior or whether there are other issues at hand.

Some behaviors that are normal can also be symptomatic of things such as substance abuse. Some of these teenage behaviors include:

Moodiness
Secrecy
Movement away from parents
New group of friends
Disinterested in previously enjoyed activities
Tired all the time

Now these behaviors are normal for teenager’s transitioning through a very awkward time. It is a hard task for parents to try and identify when these behaviors have become extreme.

There are a number of signs to look for in you teen if you are concerned about drug abuse.

On top of the normal teenage moodiness you will notice an irrational irritability. Moods will be inconsistent and go from one extreme to the other.
There may be a noticeable change in personality for instance a normally kind child turning mean or a calm child becoming angry.
A change in appearance. Now many teens begin to worry about image more during this time. A teen using drugs may begin to care less about his/her appearance.
Red eyes, the use of eye drops
When using substances your immune system suffers. Is your teen sick all the time?
Suspicious behavior, such as chemical smells coming from the bedroom, odd objects found that may be related to drug use, coming home late or not at all.
General disinterest in life, decrease in motivation and strange behavior.
Loss of weight or eating binges.

If you child is exhibiting a lot of these types of behaviors then there is a chance they could be using drugs and or alcohol.

It is common for teens to experiment but if the use has become regular there is a good chance they are doing irreparable damage to themselves.

As a parent there are a number of ways you can take action to prevent substance abuse.

Talk to you children about substance abuse and the long-term effects. Children and teens tend to live for the moment and need to be reminded that their actions may have future consequences. Try not to lecture them though rather, educate them.
Stay involved in your teen’s life, get to know their friends, take in interest in their lives.
Know the signs. Learn to distinguish between normal teen behavior and extreme behavior.
If you suspect your teen is using find out before you get angry and upset, you need to be ration about it if your are going to help your child.

This may mean looking for evidence using Internet monitoring, Internet chat monitoring or simply talking to your child about it.

If you do discover evidence of substance abuse do not fly off the handle. Talk openly and keep calm. Listen to you child and you may find out why they are using in the first place.

Substance abuse can have severe consequences for both the user and their family. The best method of action is prevention and education but even then there are no guarantees.

If your teen has started down that path you need to catch it early before it becomes an addiction.

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PC Tattletale is an all-in-one suite of parent control and internet monitoring tools.

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