Troubled Teens Resources

Teen age drug abuse is an issue parents need to start worrying about way before high school these days. Troubled teens are being introduced to drugs and alcohol before they are officially teens and many parents are unaware. I wonder and worry that by the time my son gets to elementary school there will be a drug dealer on the playground.

“Substance abuse is alarmingly common among today’s youth. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at the U.S. Department of Justice, by the eighth grade, 52 percent of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 41 percent have smoked cigarettes, and 20 percent have used marijuana. Additionally, half of all high school seniors report drinking alcohol in the past 30 days with a third reporting being drunk at least once in the same period.

Teens who use drugs and alcohol regularly or episodically — meaning they use them in abundance whenever they can get them — could suffer both short- and long-term harm. Depending on the substance, the child could experience cognitive thinking and memory problems, chemical imbalances, sleep disturbances, appetite changes and mood disruption.
Because adolescence is such a turbulent time with so many physical and emotional changes anyway, parents need to be especially watchful to detect substance abuse issues.Whether your child is abusing or you just want to minimize the chances he or she will, the strategy is the same: Pay attention. Know your children, know their friends and pay close attention to their behavior. Make the time to drive your kids to and from events. Above all, talk with them about anything and everything, including drugs and alcohol.

Research from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America indicates that kids who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to half as likely as their peers to try or use drugs. So, simply by talking to your kids about the dangers of drug use, you can help them to be drug free.”

(source)
K.D.