Teen Drug Abuse and Ways to Deal With It

Individuals who take to abusing drugs in their early age are at a greater risk of getting addicted compared to those who begin it as an adult owing to the immaturity of the teenage brain. If you visit any detox center in the country, be it in a remote borough or detox retreats, you will be surprised to find a good number of the inmates are young adults or teens.

Now, sample a few startling stats:

• Out of every third teenager in the U.S. with medical marijuana laws gets the pot from other people's prescriptions.
• The U.S. represents 5% of the world's population and among those taking prescription drugs they represent 75% of them.
• 60% of teens who abuse prescription drugs get it free from friends and relatives.
• It has so much to do with the fact that 60% of seniors don't even see regular marijuana use as harmful.
• As per surveys, more than 50% of high school students admit that there are places near or within the campus to which they make a beeline to drink, smoke, or get high. Studies reveal that in most cases it is a fellow student who sells drugs to peers.
• More than 60% of teens admit that the drugs are sold, used or kept in schools.

A playful move today might snowball into a mammoth issue tomorrow. In some way the adults in the family have to be blamed for this grim scenario. However, several detox and rehabilitation facilities in the country are working relentlessly towards eradicating this social menace of teen drug abuse.

How to deal with a young addict:

Have patience: Dealing with a teen addict needs a lot of compassion and understanding from an adult. Blaming or handing over a long lecture will not go down well with a teenager. It will only worsen the situation by fuelling the guilt and make him or her retreat into a shell. Always anticipate a slow and gradual progress to detoxification and show patience. Lindsay Lohan once remarked: "Substance abuse is a disease which doesn't go away overnight. I'm working hard to overcome it. I did fail my recent drug test. I'm prepared to face the consequences." Taking a cue from success stories plan your own recovery path for your loved one.

Create a communication channel: Always create an atmosphere where you can initiate discussion with your loved one and encourage him or her to open up. Try and figure out what is the underlying condition that triggered the addiction in the first place. It would give you a way forward in rooting out the prime cause. This would also help you realize where you had faltered as a parent or guardian because, more often than not, it is usually poor parenting which leads to teen drug abuse.

Research for a good rehab center: Your teenaged ward will have to check into a rehab for detoxification and in most cases it might also be an inpatient treatment center. So, always do a thorough research of detox retreats so that your child is comfortable during the stay.

Confide in family friends and relatives: Discussing with a close confidant or a relative would bring in a lot of relief for you as some of the burden would be shared. They might also give the much needed advice which you alone would not have thought about.