So how do parents know if their teen needs one of the substance abuse treatment centers for children due to teen prescription drug abuse or abuse of another drug? Parents may be curious to know if alcohol abuse in teenagers is occurring right under their noses. Parents need to become detectives to figure out patterns of drug abuse in teens. While keeping their eyes peeled to recognize a significant change in their teens’ behavior is one of the most obvious ways to go about detecting the problem, taking a peek into their mobile devices, keeping an eye on where they have been hanging out lately, and scanning their private conversations for red flags is just as crucial. This of course can be done quite easily with the help of parental control apps.
So how common is drug abuse and alcohol abuse in teenagers?
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism indicated that 35.1 percent of 15-year-old children have reported having at least one drink in their lives. Statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse reveal that 35.1 percent of 12th graders tried marijuana in the past year while 6.8 admitted doing Adderall, an amphetamine. This isn’t taking into consideration other classes of drugs and how many of these teens abused more than one type of drug. Nor does this survey account for the number of students who lied about drug use.
Looking for signs of drug and alcohol abuse in teens
It might be easy to figure out if teen alcohol abuse is occurring in a parent’s home. The teen may exhibit slurred speech or a parent may discover alcohol missing from the cabinet. However, finding out if a teen is abusing drugs isn’t always that easy. Not to mention, teens are sneaky and may be hiding alcohol abuse from loved ones.
Parents who suspect their teens of abusing drugs or alcohol can look through his or her bedroom to find drugs, however this could make matters worse by getting caught. Instead, parents should look for other signs of substance abuse such severe mood changes or mood swings. The child may sleep more or pull further away from friends and family. Parents might notice the teen’s grades slipping or the child’s sleep patterns may be disturbed. Those responsible for the teen’s well-being should look for changes in the child’s friends or take note if the child is no longer revealing who he or she is hanging out with. Parents should make sure to meet all of the child’s friends and get to know their parents. A student may miss school more frequently or miss curfew. The teenager may get defensive easily, have violent outbursts or become more emotionally unstable.
Parents need to stay continuously involved in their child’s life. Those responsible for teens who may be abusing substances should keep an open communication line. This will ensure that the teen can approach parents with personal problems, potentially curbing the temptation to abuse drugs and alcohol. It’s also important for a parent to always know where the child is before, during and after school. These strategies will keep guardians informed and aware of the teen’s behavior. Those who notice potential drug or alcohol abuse in teens should contact a teenage rehabilitation center immediately for advice or to admit the child into treatment.
A lot of teens become curious about drugs and alcohol online, and this is reflected in their web activities and private conversations. Parents can take help of parental control apps to monitor what their youngsters are doing online, and even track their location. The importance and advantage of this supervision cannot be emphasized enough. It not only allows them to gain greater insight into why the teens are behaving in a certain way, but also makes it easier for them to detect and react to problematic situations in time.