By Jessica Bradbury
Why do teenagers get addicted to drugs? There are many reasons, and for many parents hearing the number one reason is often hard to swallow, lack of parental involvement. Before we go into any of the other reasons for teen drug abuse, it is important to understand what is meant by parental involvement.
Parental involvement means that you have an open line of communication with your children that you have consistent and appropriate discipline and that you supervise your children. The supervision can not be super strict or super lax, but appropriate. If your children feel as though they are able to come to you, and talk with you about what is going on in their lives and that you are going to listen to them, they are less likely to turn to drugs. While most adults want to tell their children how great childhood is and that they should be thankful for being a teenager and not an adult yet, think about being a teenager.
You are trying to figure out who you are as an individual; you are searching for your identity. If you are not getting the help at home to find that identity you are going to go to your friends, people who can identify with you. This search begins in the preteen years where not only are you searching for identity, but clarification of sexual roles, search out and set goals for your life, asserting your independence and learning to cope with authority. This is the "rebellious" age, they aren't really rebelling they are trying to figure out who they are.
As a parent you need to be there to help them through this time. Offering guidance to them and letting them know that it is safe to come and talk to you. Don't confuse this with becoming your child's best friend. They have friends, right now what they need it a strong parent. Remember what it was like to be a teenager really.
Next as a parent you need to face the facts, drugs are not that hard for your children to get a hold of. They are readily accessible, and they are coming up with new "drugs" every day. Your children are curious and they are vulnerable. This is where the second factor that influences teenage drug use comes in, peer pressure. One friend says, "Hey, this is what I do when I have had a hard time with…" and your child is offered a drug. And because this is there friend that does it, and it has helped them, they try it.
Accessibility and availability are also reasons that influence teenage drug use. Remember being in high school, everyone knew the one kid to go to if you wanted to get high. Well today your child doesn't even have to go to that one kid; they abuse cold medicines, house hold cleaners, art supplies, canned whip cream and so on. Yes, the hard drugs are still available to them, from those kids at school, different social networking groups online. The internet has made access to many things so much easier, and drugs are one of those "things."
Pay attention to your children, be involved in their lives. There isn't a teenager out there that doesn't need their parents, but that will be the last thing that any teenager will ever say, "Mom, Dad I need you…"
Article written by Jessica Bradbury, she has a site dedicated to information pertaining to addictions, including undersanding addictions and help with overcoming addictions.
Source:www.isnare.com |
