Drug Dependency

January 14, 2021

Guiding and monitoring your teenager is a cumbersome task, considering they can be very challenging to control. Likewise, they are on the stage of exploration and building relationships with other teens. With that, you need to be vigilant but subtle in knowing their peers and habits.

This post will help by giving some tips and tricks on how to deal with your teenager with an addiction problem. Continue reading to find out more about it.

Reasons Why Your Teens Are Acting That Way

Once they step into grade 8, your children will experience hormonal and physical changes in their bodies. They tend to be taller and bigger, yet it doesn’t directly correlate with their maturity in thinking.

Consequently, they are undergoing hormonal changes because they are in their adolescents’ stage. Alongside this, they are having a roller coaster ride with their emotions, behavior, and decision-making abilities.

In technical terms, the frontal cortex of your teen’s brain is undergoing restructure as they approach adulthood. The frontal cortex is responsible for your child’s emotion, logic, control, emotion, and decision-making process. Typically, a teenager’s brain reaches maturity when they turn between 24 to 30 years.

The Onset of A Troubled Teenage Behavior

As your child becomes a teenager, he or she will be doing typical things for that age level, which include the following:

• Wearing a new style of clothes
• Dyeing their hairs
• Noticeable changes with the way they talk
• Tattoos on their body and more
• Being more bold and intuitive with their thinking and expression

These changes are normal when your teens are doing it not after a tragic incident or when faced with a serious emotional conflict (e.g. death of a family member, separation, or broken relationships).

If these behavioral changes occurred after a negative event, then that is a strong sign of a bad habit, which can lead to alcohol drinking and abusing substances. With that, it is best to keep an eye on their activities and talk to them about random stuff.

Tips On How You Can Handle Your Teen With An Addiction

Indeed, it is daunting for parents to talk with their teenagers with addiction because both parties will have preconceived notions about each other upon dealing with the situation. In line with this, here are some tips on how you can efficiently deal with them.

1. Both Parents Must Have The Same Approach

There will be an inevitable chance that the parents will blame each other for what happened to their teenager. Unfortunately, blaming will never help you resolve this concern.

Consequently, both of you need to be on the same page when dealing with your teens. Here are some points you want to take note of before talking to your children.

• Never blame each other for what happened, instead you need to unite and cooperate with each other.
• Decide a standpoint for both of you, so you are on the same page when talking to your teenagers.
• Never show that you are disagreeing with each other in front of your teen.
• Avoid bad-mouthing each other
• Always let love be at the center of your conversation

2. Always Be Honest and Transparent with Your Teen

At some points with your talk, your teen can ask you a question like, “Have you tried smoking or drinking alcohol?”. When your teen starts asking those questions, it’s always best to be honest with them.

Why? Because it could be that your kids already knew your history or have seen you done that, so it’s best to be honest unless you’d like to be called a hypocrite. If ever you have tried abusing any substances, then you can share that with them and tell them your realizations about it.

Once you have successfully made your weakness a strength, they will be amazed by your courage and honesty. Moreover, they will feel your genuine concern about their health and future.

3. Collect Evidence That Proves Their Bad Habits

Teenagers can be very bold and rebellious at times, so be prepared that your teens will deny anything you say. With that, you need to be like an investigator gathering evidence that will prove your hunch about their substance abuse or alcohol drinking.

Consequently, here are some of the usual hiding place of your teens for their bad stuff:

• Closet and drawers
• Under the bed
• Inside the pillow
• In their bookshelves
• Small boxes and containers
• Plant vases
• Cosmetic product containers
• Toilet tank and desk drawers

4. Practice Keeping A Calm Reaction When They Get Furious

Despite your solid evidence, there is a huge possibility that your teen will deny all your accusations. Also, they can exhibit a furious and shocked reaction to what you have said or shown to them.

Consequently, your conversation with them could get nasty, so you need to find a way to maintain composure all the time. Here are some tips that you can follow to help you stay calm even when your teens are ranting already.

• Take a deep breath when you feel you’re getting mad already
• Always remember that you are doing this to help them and not blame them
• Take a pause and re-state your intention of talking to them about it
• Always let your teen feel your genuine care and love for them

5. Reduce Expectation and Appreciate More

In reality, having a conversation with your teenager regarding addiction is a very sensitive topic, oftentimes, leading to a difficult situation. With that, you need to be realistic and appreciative of what will be the outcome, rather than expecting so much.

6. Always Keep Communication Two-Way and Clear

Even before starting the conversation, it’s always best that you will also allow your teen to talk and hear them out. Never be too pushy or be in a dictator tone when talking to them. With that, you are maintaining a balanced communication between your parents and your child.

7. Consulting Professional Assistance

Lastly, seeking help from doctors or rehab centers that are well-trained and experienced on this is your last course of action. However, before you lean on them, you need to convince your teenager to get professional advice from this medical personnel.

If you have further questions about teenage addiction and its treatment methods, then get in touch with an addiction professional.