Raising Awareness
At the start, addiction may be the farthest thing from your troubled teenager’s mind as he takes his first puff of smoke or lets his first taste of alcohol run down his throat. It all begins with experimentation. Many times, a friend of a friend of a friend will have tried the substance and encouraged his friend to try it who will then keep the pattern going by asking your teenager to have a go. The movement of drug or alcohol use among the social circles of teenagers is dynamic. The habit is passed on from teen to teen. But your defiant teen cannot put all the blame on his peers. It is still him making the decisions. It’s up to him if he will bring that smoke/drink to his lips or not. And he should be aware of this. If he clearly isn’t, then it’s your responsibility as parent to make him aware of this.
From hanging out to hitting up
Many teenagers have been reported to have their first tries of substance abuse at parties or teen social gatherings. The occurrence of teenage substance abuse has been related to “hanging out” and teen gatherings. In ways, it has been a past time for teens who come together to enjoy one another’s company. After a couple sessions, it no longer becomes a simple past time, but it transforms into the event itself. It is no longer about hanging out with each other, but it is about using the drug or drinking up until one’s wasted.
Clearly, there is a distinction between these two scenarios. In the prior one, the drug may be seen as a perverse tool in teenage ‘bonding.’ In the latter scenario, it may not even matter to your teen if he is with someone or not, what becomes important to him here is that he gets a hit. That is the bottom line for a troubled teen struggling with a drug/alcohol habit.
Importance of Prevention
From this point, a teen with a developed habit for substance abuse can very easily take matters into his own hands. He needn’t rely on his peers any longer for sessions. Once the habit develops and he feels hooked, he will look for the substance on his own. Experimentation has become habit. Once this transformation has occurred it is much more difficult for a parent to intervene and regain control of his teenager. Outside help may be necessary. This puts emphasis on the importance of prevention. Even before it reaches a point where outside help may be the only option, make your teen aware of the weight of his decisions when out with his peer group. |
