Teenage substance abuse statisticssuggest that 1 in 8 minors today are suffering from illegal substance abuse, and alcohol is the major cause of addiction among them. Surprisingly, more than 90% of alcohol consumption is accounted for by high school students.
Let’s understand what teen deaddiction is and how can you as a parent help pull your child out of substance abuse disorder!
Signs of Addiction in Teenagers
Catching earlysigns of substance addiction in teenscan make deaddiction simpler and quicker.
As a parent, you should casually keep an eye on their behavioral patterns. You should look out for:
- Behavioral changes and mood swings.
- Discord with family and friends.
- Changes in social interaction patterns.
- Unhealthy changes in eating or sleeping patterns.
- Physical health problems like indigestion, anxiety, headaches, irritability, unexpected weight gain or weight loss, etc.
Causes of Addiction in Teenagers
Most parents lose precious time in denial about their child’s addiction because they feel there’s no way their kid could get hold of the substances in the first place.
But adolescence is a very delicate period. The slightest influence can leave a lasting impression on teenagers. The most common reasons why kids take to substance use are:
- Peer pressure
- Social isolation
- Addict parents
- Trauma
- Genetics
- Urge for experimentation
- Lack of knowledge
What is the Role of Parents in De-addiction?
De-addiction takes time and effort. Plus, children are not capable enough of understanding the consequences of their actions and are more vulnerable to reverting to addictive habits quickly if not taken care of.
That’s why recognizing your part as a guardian in their recovery stage is critical.
Talk to them: Make them understand that they can come out of the addiction disorder and that treatment ordrug detoxis possible.
Motivate them to look past addiction and focus on the future. Reassure them so that they can communicate with you freely about their fears, struggles and even about how they expect you to support them during the trying times.
Coordinate with the treatment professionals: Maintain and share the child’s health records, likes, dislikes, interests, reports on what physical, mental and emotional changes they have been through during the entire addiction phase and any other information that can help the therapist.
Don’t judge them: Keep a sympathetic attitude. Don’t show resentment or disappointment. They might show intense withdrawal symptoms like mood swings, fatigue, and depression, and might become hard to manage, deal with them patiently.
Look out for their needs: Although the severity ofwithdrawal effectsusually depends on the severity of addiction, quitting suddenly can take a toll both physically and mentally.
Medications might help with both. Observe their needs before you plan on providing relevant help.
Help them during the treatment: Appreciate their growth, enquire about how the treatment is working for them, and if they are finding it beneficial or not. Follow up on their progress.
Keep a continuous check: It is crucial to monitor your child when they are in the withdrawal phase. Keep track of their social interactions, the company they are in, and places they go to.
At times, children might even end up lying and manipulating their parents to find a way to keep using the substances they are addicted to. Ensure you keep them away from those as much as possible to make sure they don’t relapse.
Conclusion
Helping your child through withdrawal might also help you understand more about the addiction disorder, the right approach towards it and beneficial coping practices.
However, taking care of an addicted child might be taxing physically and emotionally. If you are feeling overwhelmed while providing care for them, don’t resist psychological guidance or therapy for yourself.
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