According to research, substance abuse among teenagers has become a major concern for parents and educators. Between 80-90% of teens have been exposed to some form of substance abuse before the age of 18. In the past two decades, addiction rates have increased as teenagers seek more and more intoxicating substances.
Five Ways to Prevent Teen Drug Abuse
It is not easy to prevent teen drug abuse. The main goal should be prevention rather than treatment, but addiction can happen in any age group at any time of your life. Addiction is a serious problem that often results from starting with others or free samples while teens are experimenting with drugs, there are five ways you can prevent them from engaging in the risky habit:
1. Remove access
Junkies will do anything to get their hands on the drug they want. Abusing painkillers, alcohol or marijuana is not written in stone. Physical withdrawal symptoms are only experienced if one can’t access his “drug of choice” after 6-8 days off the drug(s). Parents should take away all pill bottles and keep them out of sight so teens aren’t tempted to steal pills from older siblings with ADHD.
2. Set rules that will last into adulthood
Limit access to drugs through practical and suitable practices such as limiting the number of party guests who have been allowed to bring alcohol in your home, think about choosing responsible friends to choose, if you buy marijuana online check on their website for certain marijuana pesticides (organic is preferred.) No saying where they are hiding it never keeps weapons under the mattress or behind furniture for teens who are not allowed to have a drink or use alcohol it is also feasible that they will never try drugs.
3. Open communication
Both parents and teenagers should be involved in all major decisions concerning safety procedures. They should share with each other plans for the safety of their children, their friends and communities after they leave home through open dialogue discussing rules before getting into a new school.
4. Opt for abstinence
This is preferred to the other ‘Stop it now’ method. The idea of an abrupt, rapid withdrawal of any drug is difficult and can lower some addicts to worse levels during the first few moons after leaving home. Starting with no alcohol or Marijuana on the first day, then just partway through each cycle until they reach 60 days free from drugs completely finally ending their use on the final week before leaving home for summer camps etc.
5. Educating yourself and your children
It is crucial that you’re educated on substance abuse prevention. If possible, involve the kids in this emphasis of their own lives getting them to consider plans they can put into practice when adults are not around. Have an agenda planned for occasion avoiding situations that may lead to drug use or abuse more than once each year with specific steps taken? It would be ideal if every member of the family keeps a safe record of all potential dangers and take notes in one central file so you will be prepared when the inevitable happens if time was not enough to draw out a safe plan.
Conclusion
As a parent, you have a role to play in ensuring that your children don’t get involved with drugs. In order to do this, you need to be proactive and make sure they understand the risks of drug abuse. This is why it’s important for you to take an active role in educating them about the dangers of substance abuse. Thanks for reading. Please share it if you find it useful. Don’t forget to subscribe to us to get the latest updates on your email.