Ways To Help Teens Avoid Drug Abuse

Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash

Teenagers with drug addiction are at risk of multiple side effects that come with abusing drugs. Teenagers are likely to explore and discover things on their own. Guidance on drug abuse is crucial as it might be the next thing they may get curious about. Peers are likely to influence and motivate each other on using cheap and legal drugs such as alcohol and smoking tobacco. Parents and guardians should embrace effective tactics to ensure their children stay away from drugs.

Talk About Drugs

Start a general conversation about drugs and their uses. Let them explain why drugs are needed and why they think people abuse them. During such talks, ensure children understand the weight of the matter. Ensure they keep their phones away to avoid unnecessary interruption. Create a safe space where they can express their thoughts freely. Other issues you may address include:

• Discuss your own experience with drugs (if any) and explain the consequences of drug abuse. If you have never abused drugs, explain why you choose not to engage in drugs. Give reasons such as your parent’s experience, a neighbor, or someone dear. Let them understand the irreversible consequences of drug abuse.
• Let them tell you their own views on drugs and experience with drugs. Using such techniques, you can monitor if your children are using drugs or if anyone around them has persuaded them to abuse drugs.
• Tell your teens about effective ways to overcome peer pressure because they will experience it at some point. Let them give your ideas on how they can say no to free drug offers. Let them understand that a firm decision is crucial in handling peer pressure.
• List unfavorable effects of drug abuse and give real-life examples of people they know. Let them tell you some of the outcomes of drug abuse they are aware of.

Monitor Your Teens

Encourage your teens to engage in activities that you can easily supervise. Keep them involved in physical activities to avoid idleness. Monitor the websites your children visit and the kind of people they relate with using a child tracking app.

Set a Good Example

Children learn a lot from their parents. People abusing drugs are likely to influence their kids. Telling children is not enough; they need you to show them. It also becomes tough to advise your children on drugs if you are using them. If you want kids to avoid drugs, you can start your way to drug abuse recovery.

Know the People Your Kids Relate with

Friends and family create an immense impact on a teenager. Friends who abuse drugs are likely to influence your kids to take drugs. It is, therefore, crucial to know the kind of friends your child has. You can welcome their friends over for dinner and learn to know them.

Congratulate Them

If your kids manage to keep away from drugs, always tell them how proud you are. You can also reward them with an item from their favorite game, for instance, a new football or guitar.

Seek Help

As soon as you notice symptoms that indicate that your child is abusing drugs, talk to them and encourage honesty. Let them understand that drugs may make them make bad decisions and seek help from a professional. They will help your child to recover from drugs successfully.

Some of the indicators that your child is on drugs include:

• Breaking school rules
• Withdrawal from family activities
• Poor judgment
• Extreme change in eating habits
• A drastic change in school performance
• Sudden change in friends
• Poor coordination
• Lack of sleep
• Practicing antisocial behavior
• Presence of empty drug containers in their rooms

Alcohol adverts may influence your teens to start taking drugs. Explain the purposes of the media and advertisements. Let them understand that such adverts will promote companies and not their health.