Teenage drug abuse: doing something about it.

Smoking weed, just like drinking alcohol is often done as part of a lifestyle thing. Friends get together to enjoy themselves and they share a common reality, part of which might be the use of alcohol or drugs. We can all get into habits or routines. And they can be hard to break, particularly when they are bound up with friendship and socialising. A habit developed at a younger age however, can be a hard habit to break.

Making the right choices about who they hang out with, is very important for the development of young people. For them to see who is going to have a negative influence on their life, young people need to have some sense of where they are going. Even the best of friends can turn out to be pretty unpredictable when under the influence of alcohol and drugs and the clearer a young person is on his direction, the less he can be led astray. Teen drug abuse can occur when the interest and guidance of parents go missing.

After one of my talks, I have had young guys wait for their year group to leave before approaching me for advice. One such student in South West London told me his story of how in year 7 and 8 he was really into his football, but then drifted into a different crowd who were smoking weed and so he eventually dropped the football. Here was someone who had recognised the knowledge in the talk as truth and wanted to change his ways. Here was a young guy who had made a decision. He agreed he wanted to get back into his football again and that this was the crowd he should hang out with. He also agreed that he needed to look after himself better, eat better, work out more. He also said that he still had the goal to make it as a professional footballer. I could see that this young guy had got some focus back in his life and that he really meant what he was saying. We parted company with me giving him the simple advice that if problems should come up, whether feelings of frustration or failure or whether antagonistic comments from his “old”mates, he should just choose a trusted person to share this with.

Parents can avoid teen drug abuse by being the stable datum in the confusion.
“The Drug Attraction” is an ebook on drug abuse prevention. Simple to understand, it doesn’t pretend to be academic but is designed to be useable. The more parents know about the subject of drugs and alcohol, the more they can be responsible for their kids and the more they can help them stay in control of their lives <!–EndFragment–>

 

Like talking about sex, having a conversation with your teen about drugs and alcohol can be, well, a bit uncomfortable. Sure, you may hear about how you should talk to your children about illegal substances whenever you get the opportunity – but having the conversation itself can be so awkward that many parents choose not to do it, not to mention that many parents feel too uneducated about booze and drugs to even talk about it! In fact, a recent study conducted by Action on Addiction in the United Kingdom found that over 40% of adults choose not to have these necessary conversations with their children and teenagers, but rather leave it up to the schools. If this sounds familiar, then take note: children and teenagers often want to hear about drugs and alcohol from the mouths of their own parents rather than their health class teacher.

 

But how exactly do you got about having this conversation without appearing uneducated – or worse – hypocritical? Here’s what you need to know in order to best educate your kids about the dangers of drugs and underage drinking as effectively as possible.

 

Give Them Warnings That Are Tangible. it’s no secret that most tweens and teens think that they’re invincible. If you warn your child that drinking and doing drugs will kill them – even though your teen is surrounded by people who have not died from alcohol or certain drugs – they won’t get as scared as you’d like them to. However, if you tell your child that drinking and doing drugs can cost them thousands of dollars a year – not to mention make them smell horrible – and you’ll see a change in their behavior quickly!

 

Try To Relate To Your Teen. Tweens and teens have an uncanny ability to see straight through any fibs; therefore, if you are staunchly against drinking and drugs, even though you may have experimented yourself as a teen, you’ll just end up confusing your child. Be honest with your child – if you did drugs as a teen, tell them why you did it, and why you chose to stop it. Your teen will appreciate your honesty, as opposed to labeling you as a “hypocrite”.

 

Find Out Who His Or Her Friends Are. When it comes to raising teens, knowledge is half the battle – that’s why you should make the effort to become familiar with you teenager’s friends. You don’t have to know everything about them; rather, you want to do so in order to determine if they’re positive influences on your teen. It won’t take long for you to get a feel for your teen’s friends’ personalities – if someone rubs you the wrong way, try to limit how much time your teen spends with him or her.

 

Be Supportive. If you’ve discovered that your child drank at a party or took drugs, your first reaction may be to punish them. While discipline is completely necessary, it’s important for your teen to know that you’ll love them no matter what – this will teach your child that it’s okay to approach you about their upsetting behavior rather than keep it secret.

 

Above all, accept the fact that you won’t be around to monitor your child’s activities for every hour of every day – no matter how tempted you may be! Instead, trust that you instilled proper values within your children that will help them to make the right decisions when it counts, therefore setting them up for future success long into adulthood.

 

Some of the long-term effects of drinking at a young age include learning difficulties, memory loss, and addiction problems later on in life. These are only some of the associated problems that are currently, scientifically proven. It is time that parents and those in our community took a stand against alcohol use, and experimentation with our teenage children now, rather than later on down the track when the damage has already been done.

Heavy drug abuse is said to be the main concern of many parents, when it comes to addictive substances. Although research suggests that the largest percentage of drug related occurrences are the direct result of alcohol use, not hard drugs. Parents need to be aware that alcohol use among young teens is harmful, unacceptable, and is a dangerous substance among teenagers that needs our attention, rather than our tolerance.

Facts About Alcohol, And Your Teenager

• In Australia, it is estimated that at least 73% of teenagers try alcohol more than once.

• In 2001, over 3,000 teenagers died due to alcohol use, and a further 64,782 needed medical attention after an alcohol related episode.

• Teenagers who are exposed to alcohol at an early age are five times more likely to become addicted later in life.

• Teenagers who binge-drink are likely to have poor judgment, and engage in dangerous activities such as increased risk taking, unwanted sex, blackouts, vomiting, and being a victim to violent activities.

Teenage Drinking, What You Can Do As A Parent

The relationships that we have with our teenage children have a bearing on their future development as they grow into well-adjusted adults who take their place in the community. In order to give your teenager the best start in life, they need to be given love, security, a warm and friendly family environment, as well as a firm set of values, and standards to live their lives by.

From an early age, children need boundaries. This helps them define, in later life, what acceptable behaviour is, and what isn’t tolerable. As children reach their teenage years, they need to be taught responsibility within their defined boundaries as a teenager. It is a parent’s duty, not prerogative to take an active role in your teenager’s life.

As a parent, if you don’t agree with teenage drinking, voice your opinion with other parents, and take a stand for what you feel is the right thing. You just may find that there are many other parents out there who agree with you. By creating a network of parents within your community that includes the parents of your teenager’s friends where possible, you can work together towards creating a strong, safe structure for your teenager to socialise in.

Teen suicide is becoming more common every year in South America. In fact, only car accidents and homicides (murders) kill more people between the ages of 18 and 30, making suicide the third leading cause of death in teens and overall in youths ages 14 to 22 years old.

Thinking About Suicide It’s common for teens to think about death to some degree. Teens’ thinking capabilities have matured in a way that allows them to think more deeply – about their existence in the world, the meaning of life, and other profound questions and ideas. Unlike kids, teens realize that death is permanent. They may begin to consider spiritual or philosophical questions such as what happens after people die. To some, death, and even suicide, may seem poetic (consider Romeo and Juliet, for example). To others, death may seem frightening or be a source of worry. For many, death is mysterious and beyond our human experience and understanding.

Thinking about suicide goes beyond normal ideas teens may have about death and life. Wishing to be dead, thinking about suicide, or feeling helpless and hopeless about how to solve life’s problems are signs that a teen may be at risk – and in need of help and support. Beyond thoughts of suicide, actually making a plan or carrying out a suicide attempt is even more serious.

What makes some teens begin to think about suicide – and even worse, to plan or do something with the intention of ending their own lives? One of the biggest factors is depression. Suicide attempts are usually made when a person is seriously depressed or upset. A teen who is feeling suicidal may see no other way out of problems, no other escape from emotional pain, or no other way to communicate their desperate unhappiness.

The Link Between Depression and Suicide

The majority of suicide attempts and suicide deaths happen among teens with depression. Consider these statistics about teen suicide and teen depression: about 1% of all teens attempts suicide and about 1% of those suicide attempts results in death (that means about 1 in 10,000 teens dies from suicide). But for adolescents who have depressive illnesses, the rates of suicidal thinking and behavior are much higher. Most teens who have depression think about suicide, and between 15% and 30% of teens with serious depression who think about suicide go on to make a suicide attempt.

Keep in mind that most of the time for most teens depression is a passing mood. The sadness, loneliness, grief, and disappointment we all feel at times are normal reactions to some of the struggles of life. With the right support, some resilience, an inner belief that there will be a brighter day, and decent coping skills, most teens can get through the depressed mood that happens occasionally when life throws them a curve ball.

But sometimes depression doesn’t lift after a few hours or a few days. Instead it lasts, and it can seem too heavy to bear. When someone has a depressed or sad mood that is intense and lingers almost all day, almost every day for 2 weeks or more, it may be a sign that the person has developed major depression. Major depression, sometimes called clinical depression, is beyond a passing depressed mood – it is the term mental health professionals use for depression that has become an illness in need of treatment. Another form of serious depression is called bipolar disorder, which includes extreme low moods (major depression) as well as extreme high moods (these are called manic episodes).

Though children can experience depression, too, teens are much more vulnerable to major depression and bipolar illness. Hormones and sleep cycles, which both change dramatically during adolescence, have an effect on mood and may partly explain why teens (especially girls) are particularly prone to depression. Believe it or not, as many as 20% of all teens have had depression that’s this severe at some point. The good news is that depression is treatable – most teens get better with the right help.

It’s not hard to see why serious depression and suicide are connected. Serious depression (with both major depression and bipolar illness) involves a long-lasting sad mood that doesn’t let up, and a loss of pleasure in things you once enjoyed. It also involves thoughts about death, negative thoughts about oneself, a sense of worthlessness, a sense of hopelessness that things could get better, low energy, and noticeable changes in appetite or sleep.

Depression also distorts a person’s viewpoint, allowing them to focus only on their failures and disappointments and to exaggerate these negative things. Depressed thinking can convince someone there is nothing to live for. The loss of pleasure that is part of depression can seem like further evidence that there’s nothing good about the present. The hopelessness can make it seem like there will be nothing good in the future; helplessness can make it seem like there’s nothing you can do to change things for the better. And the low energy that is part of depression can make every problem (even small ones) seem like too much to handle.

When major depression lifts because a person gets the proper therapy or treatment, this distorted thinking is cleared and they can find pleasure, energy, and hope again. But while someone is seriously depressed, suicidal thinking is a real concern. When teens are depressed, they often don’t realize that the hopelessness they feel can be relieved and that hurt and despair can be healed.

What Else Puts Teens at Risk for Suicide?

In addition to depression, there are other emotional conditions that can put teens at greater risk for suicide – for example, girls and guys with conduct disorder are at higher risk. This may be partly because teens with conduct disorder have problems with aggression and may be more likely than other teens to act in aggressive or impulsive ways to hurt themselves when they are depressed or under great stress. The fact that many teens with conduct disorder also have depression may partly explain this, too. Having both serious depression and conduct disorder increases a teen’s risk for suicide.

Substance abuse problems also put teens at risk for suicidal thinking and behavior. Alcohol and some drugs have depressive effects on the brain. Misuse of these substances can bring on serious depression, especially in teens prone to depression because of their biology, family history, or other life stressors.

Besides depressive effects, alcohol and drugs alter a person’s judgement. They interfere with the ability to assess risk, make good choices, and think of solutions to problems. Many suicide attempts occur when a teen is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Teens with substance abuse problems often have serious depression or intense life stresses, too, further increasing their risk.

Life Stress and Suicidal Behavior

Let’s face it – being a teen is not easy for anyone. There are many new social, academic, and personal pressures. And for teens who have additional problems to deal with, life can feel even more difficult. Some teens have been physically or sexually abused, have witnessed one parent abusing another at home, or live with lots of arguing and conflict at home. Others witness violence in their neighborhoods. Many teens have parents who divorce, and others may have a parent with a drug or alcohol addiction.

Some teens are struggling with concerns about sexuality and relationships, wondering if their feelings and attractions are normal, if they will be loved and accepted, or if their changing bodies are developing normally. Others struggle with body image and eating problems, finding it impossible to reach a perfect ideal, and therefore having trouble feeling good about themselves. Some teens have learning problems or attention problems that make it hard for them to succeed in school. They may feel disappointed in themselves or feel they are a disappointment to others.

All these things can affect mood and cause some people to feel depressed or to turn to alcohol or drugs for a false sense of soothing. Without the necessary coping skills or support, these social stresses can increase the risk of serious depression and, therefore, of suicidal ideas and behavior. Teens who have had a recent loss or crisis or who had a family member who committed suicide may be especially vulnerable to suicidal thinking and behavior themselves.

Guns and Suicide Risk

Finally, having access to guns is extremely risky for any teen who has any of the other risk factors. Depression, anger, impulsivity, life stress, substance abuse, feelings of alienation or loneliness – all these factors can place a teen at major risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior. Availability of guns along with one or more of these risk factors is a deadly equation. Many teen lives could be saved by making sure those who are at risk don’t have access to guns.

Different Types of Suicidal Behaviors

Teen girls attempt suicide far more often (about nine times more often) than teen guys, but guys are about four times more likely to succeed when they try to kill themselves. This is because teen guys tend to use more deadly methods, like guns or hanging. Girls who try to hurt or kill themselves tend to use overdoses of medications or cutting. More than 60% of teen suicide deaths happen with a gun. But suicide deaths can and do occur with pills and other harmful substances and methods.

Sometimes a depressed person plans a suicide in advance. Many times, though, suicide attempts are not planned in advance, but happen impulsively, in a moment of feeling desperately upset. Sometimes a situation like a breakup, a big fight with a parent, an unintended pregnancy, being harmed by abuse or rape, being outed by someone else, or being victimized in any way can cause a teen to feel desperately upset. In situations such as these, teens may fear humiliation, rejection, social isolation, or some terrible consequence they think they can’t handle. If a terrible situation feels too overwhelming, a teen may feel that there is no way out of the bad feeling or the consequences of the situation. Suicide attempts can occur under conditions like this because, in desperation, some teens – at least for the moment – see no other way out and they impulsively act against themselves.

Sometimes teens who feel or act suicidal mean to die and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes a suicide attempt is a way to express the deep emotional pain they’re feeling in hopes that someone will get the message they are trying to communicate.

Even though a teen who makes a suicide attempt may not actually want or intend to die, it is impossible to know whether an overdose or other harmful action they may take will actually result in death or cause a serious and lasting illness that was never intended. Using a suicide attempt to get someone’s attention or love or to punish someone for hurt they’ve caused is never a good idea. People usually don’t really get the message, and it often backfires on the teen. It’s better to learn other ways to get what you need and deserve from people. There are always people who will value, respect, and love you – sure, sometimes it takes time to find them – but it is important to value, respect, and love yourself, too.

Unfortunately, teens who attempt suicide as an answer to problems tend to try it more than once. Though some depressed teens may first attempt suicide around age 13 or 14, suicide attempts are highest during middle adolescence. Then by about age 17 or 18, the rate of teen suicide attempts lowers dramatically. This may be because with maturity, teens have learned to tolerate sad or upset moods, have learned how to get support they need and deserve, and have developed better coping skills to deal with disappointment or other difficulties.