How Can I Prevent My Teen From Experimenting with Drugs?

As rewarding as it is, being a parent is one of the hardest jobs anyone will ever have. When your child is small, it’s easy to keep them safe and out of harm’s way. However, when they become teenagers, helping them avoid peer pressure and drug experimentation is not so easy.

When it comes to experimenting with drugs, you as the parent just have to hope that your child uses the knowledge you’ve given them. Every parent needs to make sure that they’ve done everything they can to keep their teens away from drugs and alcohol. Here are a few things you can do that can help:

Discuss the Common Reasons for Drug Abuse

One common misconception is that teens often use drugs because they are bored and have too much time on their hands. During the formative teenage years, your child is on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s not uncommon for them to be happy one minute and then feeling stressed or depressed in the next. In between trying to fit in and just finding themselves as a person, many teens also experience anxiety.

By taking your teenager aside and discussing these facts of life, you can help them come up with other ways to solve problems. For example, a lot of teens turn to drugs in order to deal with their anxiety, stress and other mental health problems. You can prevent this from happening with your teen by talking to them about these kinds of problems and other ways to help address them in a healthy manner, including exercise, faith, the right friends and more.

Talk, Don’t Lecture

What teen wants to be lectured? What starts off as a calm discussion can quickly become a battle of words. When that happens, your teen tunes you out and may even stop trusting you. Instead, try talking to them like you would talk to an adult. Doing so will show them that you trust and respect them. Not to mention, your teen will be more engaged with you.

Gently explain the harsh realities of drug use, be explicitly clear about the expectations you have and explain the consequences you’ll enforce. Remember to be open about this subject and give your child a chance to ask questions and prepare yourself to give honest answers.

Make it Personal

A great way to properly engage with your teenager is to put things into perspective. It’s possible that your child feels like they’re invincible, which is a reason some teens won’t be open to discussing the effects of drugs. However, your teenager probably has some plans and goals for the future, so explaining how drugs and drug treatment would affect those ambitions can make a difference.

Getting Drug Treatment for Teens in Phoenix and Scottsdale

Being a parent is one of life’s many difficult challenges. One day your teenager will understand that. In many cases, it’s up to you as a parent to help them out of whatever situation they’ve gotten themselves into, even drug abuse. If your teen is in need of drug treatment in Phoenix and Scottsdale, reach out to us today.