Many parents are often baffled when there outgoing and happy adolescent all of a sudden turns into an introverted recluse, almost overnight. Many parents think it’s just an adolescent phase, but often times it can be behavioral indication of adolescent substance abuse. It is important to remember that many teenagers and adolescents want people around them to know what there going through, and in many cases may act out in certain behavioral patterns that are easy to identify if the parent is paying close enough attention.
Don’t Overlook Adolescent Substance Abuse
Many parents often view their child’s abrupt personality changes as part of an adolescent’s maturing process, and often times it is. Moreover, parents tend to point to abrupt changes in family, or lifestyle, like a parents divorce or death of a loved one in the family. While these problems may be contributing towards your child’s substance abuse problem, the problem in itself is the teen abusing illegal substances. The point is that while parents may see these behavioral patterns taking place in an adolescents life around the same time these traumatic life changing events are taking place, many parents often look to these events as the source of the problem, not these problems contributing to there child abusing drugs.
Don’t Live in Denial: Look for Signs
The fact is, that many parents simply do not want to believe their child has a drug or addiction problem. Many parents would rather believe that their child is just going through a difficult point in their life, than to realize your child may have a very serious drug problem. It is important for parents to look out for common signs that may indicate your child is abusing drugs or alcohol. These may include, but not be limited to:
- Finding drugs in the adolescents room and believing the drugs belong to one of your child’s friends
- Explaining Drunken or Drugged behavior as a one time event
- Writing off your adolescent’s abrupt change in groups of friends as a falling out
- Identifying key behavioral signs such as : Insomnia, depression, mood swings, ect
- Drop in grades, being late to school excessively, skipping school
- Changes in appearance, abrupt changes in personal style
- Social Isolation and withdrawal
It is extremely important for parents to watch their children closely and pay close attention to any abrupt changes, big or small, that may be taken place in your teenagers life.
Parental Awareness to Substance Abuse
Many parents simply do not want to believe their young adolescent could possibly have a problem with drugs or alcohol, and often write if off as being a common adolescent struggle. But these truth is, parents now more than ever before have to be right on top of these problems paying very close attention to their child whom is purposely acting out. Adolescent drug use is often no more than overt cries for help, but it is the parent’s responsibility to identify this as soon as possible.
