5 posts tagged “drugs”

Some reasons why teenagers take drugs

Listed below are some reasons why teenagers take drugs. As you look through them, mentally check off whether they might apply in your situation, and think of ways to discuss them with your teenager.

Kids who take drugs regularly do it for exactly the same reasons that adults do. Addiction or drug misuse in teenagers does not come about as a result of accidental or experimental exposure to drugs. Drug problems are usually part of a much larger problem, like not fitting in at school, problems at home, not knowing how to approach people they're attracted to and so on. An obliterating drug experience like those produced by alcohol, tranquillisers or amphetamines (speed) serves as a blindfold to shut out a frightening environment.

A teenager who is communicating well with parents, and is given the chance to overcome difficulties themselves, will stand a better chance of coping with life than the teenager who is overly protected, or the teenager who is left to drift without any guidance.

This is a video done by the Parents who run the methproject.  I actually went through something like this with my oldest son when he was at his worst in his addiction to meth.....I had to call the police.  He was gone by the time they showed up. 

Please, if your child ever becomes addicted to meth, or any other drug....get them help:

On a walk the other day I was telling my 13 year old that he should get out more, come down to the beach and hang out.  While we were walking by the pier I looked over and was reminded of who really hangs down by the beach.  The stoner kids.  Even when I was in Jr High, like my 13 year old is, the kids that hung out at the beach that weren't surfing, were always the kids who were just hanging out smoking pot and getting into mischief.  Well, apparently they still are those kids.  My how things don't change. 

Anyway, once I made this observation I turned to my "little guy" and said to him, "Scratch that, I would rather you be home hanging out at the house then hanging out with those kids down here".  His reply, "God mom I thought you were really going crazy telling me that you wanted me to hang out with those kids, I like being home or just hanging with you guys!"

Boy did I feel silly.  My kid's GREAT!

Illicit drug use is beginning to make a comeback among American young people, say researchers at the University of Michigan who have studied the topic. I don't believe that it ever went away.  They note a sharp rise in marijuana use and significant increases in the number of teenagers using LSD, stimulants, and inhalants. One of the researchers also notes that the drug problem goes across race, ethnicity, gender, and geographical region. It's obvious that no one—parent or teenager—can afford to ignore this problem.

If your teen is using drugs, here are some common signs to watch for:

• Marked changed in behavior or friends
• Noticeable lack of interest in activities that used to provide pleasure, interest, or fun
• Sleeping too little (or too much) "This is a big one"
• Changes in eating habits
• Combativeness or emotional distancing from family or friends
• Frequent sickness or signs of ill health such as nausea, headaches, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, runny nose, and hangovers
• Problems at school
• Items of value missing around the house, indicating that your teen may be selling or pawning them to buy drugs.  This will start to happen when the so called "habbit" has now become an addiction. 

While marijuana is the most commonly used drug, some teens have also gotten into hallucinogens like PCP, LSD, cocaine, crack, and inhalants. In addition, Ritalin, commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder, has now made its way into the drug scene where kids use it to excess to get high.

Crank was my son's "drug of choice".  When he was using he became paranoid, restless, and just plain weird.  He lost weight, he had scabs and open sores on his skin, (this is very commen for meth users.  They start to pick at the tiniest flaw and sometimes have an illusion that bugs are crawling under their skin).  When they come down from the meth high is when the trouble can really start.  My son would sleep a lot, but at times would become very angry, violent, and confused.  I hated to see him go through this and believe me, I did something about it.  I will write more later on what I did and what you can do if your son or daughter has a drug problem.

Drug's are here people and they are not going any where any time soon.  Keep your eyes open and talk to your kids or you might find yourself dealing with a lot more than you ever expected.

You might ask yourself at times why your teenager is acting out.  Why are they pushing me away and not being sociable any more.  Why aren't they talking to me anymore?  Why are they starting to fail in school?

All these questions can be answered, but you need to open your eyes and ears and figure out why.  Don't look away and think that it will all change and that they will go back to normal after a while.  They might, but they might not.  You always need to keep the lines of communication open with your children, at any age.  Especially when they are teenagers.

Communication with your child should start at birth and end at death.  Your child depends on you for everything, and it doesn't end when they leave the house.  They might not need you as much of course by this time in their life, but there will come a time when they will need you.

If your child is acting out, pushing you away, or failing in school there more in likely is a problem.  You need to find out what this problem is.  It could be that their bodies and minds are just going through the normal changes that happen during puberty, it could also mean that they are depressed, or it could mean  that they are experimenting with drugs.  All in all you need to find out what it is before it becomes a bigger problem. 

Quit asking yourself why and do something about it!