Mark Houston Recovery

Drugs: Simple Advice For Parents

Having a child who uses drugs is a nightmare many parents hope they don’t have to face. If you have just a little knowledge about drugs, you are one step along the way to ensuring your children stay drug-free. Experimental behavior is a characteristic of teenage-hood, but sometimes pushing the boundaries extends to taking drugs, including alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.

Experimentation with any drug is serious. Although not every teenager who experiments with drugs becomes an addict, the risk of addiction is correlated with early drug use. In a 1998 survey, the National Institute on Alcohol and Abuse and Alcoholism reported that 15-year olds who drink alcohol are 40% more likely to become alcoholics in adulthood. Unfortunately, due to advances in drug manufacturing technology, the potency of drugs that teenagers experiment with are greater than ever before.

Use of drugs during teenage-hood can impact on the remainder of their lives. Teenagers’ bodies and brains are still developing and drug experimentation can adversely affect this growth period. Also, under the influence of drugs, your teenager may make an unwise decision, such as to get into a car with a stranger, to engage in sexual activity or to break the law.

As a parent, you need to be aware of changes in your child’s behavior. Sudden differences in his or her appearance, friends, interests, eating or sleeping habits and his or her openness may indicate drug use. Of course, these behaviors may also be innocuous!

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