For most of us, it is quite daunting to think about . The statistics reveal that majority of teenagers have been involved in at least some type of drug use even prior to their high school education. The younger the child is when they begin testing and experimenting with drugs, the higher the chance is that they become addicted and end up in some type of drug rehab facility.

Parents should be the front line in any move to combat drug addiction among teens and they can do so much to prevent their teen’s involvement in any type of harmful drug. But this does not happen in most of the cases. Parents are considered to be the most important people in a child’s life and they look up to them as role models. If parents abuse drugs, teens are likely to abuse drugs, too. If they become irresponsible there is a great probability that their teen will be like them also.

The teenage years are inclined to be a period of great emotional turmoil as it is the transition from childhood to adulthood. As they undergo this crucial stage in their lives, a lot of issues such as peer pressure, search for identity, romantic and family relationships as well as school performance beset them. It becomes a common option for teenagers to resort to drug abuse to get rid of such issues. Teen drug abuse has actually become a prevalent phenomenon. Statistics reveal that majority of deaths in individuals in the 15-24 age bracket are attributed to alcohol or drug abuse. Likewise, criminal acts committed by teens can be accounted for by as well.

Parents should be on the lookout for physical signs like red eyes, nagging cough, irregularities in eating and sleeping habits. They should be suspicious when their teens start to have a change in their behavior and attitudes.  Deteriorating school performance, becoming irritable and aloof to family members are also warning signs. They tend to suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, chronic bronchitis and chest colds, paranoia, hypothermia, muscle tension and many more. Teen drug abuse can ruin personal and family relations and can be a harrowing problem to parents.

It is essential that drug abuse by a teenager be prevented by providing emotional security, guidance and education by the family. It is also wise to seek advice and assistance from professionals who are equipped with the needed expertise to provide guidance counsel and treatment to your teen.

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Are you looking for an alternative method, instead of a prescription, for your stressed-out teenager, at home? If you have researched natural methods to lower the levels of anxiety, and stress – Yoga is probably a top consideration, by now.

Before you make any quick decisions, you should discuss your options with your primary care or family physician. If you do not like what you hear, you can always get a second or third opinion. Sometimes, a prescription is a solution, but prescriptions can have side effects, so you want to be aware of all of them.

You can research any prescribed drug by entering the name of the drug, in a search engine, on the Internet. You will find details, forums, or lists of common, and not so common, side effects. You can also check with Web MD.

This is not meant to scare you, but to help you make an informed decision. There are times, when the local pharmacist knows more about the side effects of a prescription than anyone. So, it is worth your while to discuss the subject with him or her.

Prescribed medicine may also be addictive. In order to lower stress levels, CNS (central nervous system) depressants can be prescribed to slow the brain functions down. Some of these are very addictive, so this may be a temporary solution. Yet, prescription medicines are also life savers. Due to the quick results, prescription medicine may be your first choice.

In comparison, Yoga has no such side effects, but the positive results may take weeks or months to see. Depending upon the situation, Yoga may be used as an adjunctive therapy at first. Later on, Yoga may become the primary therapy for stress management.

Yoga has many uses, but establishing family bonds is a valuable part of the practice. What should you do if the family ties between a parent and child were not so strong to start with? Sometimes, a parent and teen are complete strangers to each other.

For example: What if the family became separated, went through a divorce, if the children were brought up by a day care system, or if one of the parents was so career-oriented that family ties were not a priority? It is never too late to re-establish family ties, but there is much repair to be done.

Yoga, and other non-competitive activities, give both parties a chance for joint participation, without an adult being portrayed as the controlling parent or teacher. Activities, which are non-competitive, such as Yoga, give both parent and teen some “breathing room.”

One point for estranged parents to be aware of is – it takes time and a long-term commitment to develop strong family ties. Joint participation, in Yoga classes, gives time to repair the relationship. At the same time, Yogic philosophy guides teens to develop many good health practices.

In Hatha Yoga classes, careful alignment of the spine is emphasized, muscles are strengthened, the body becomes balanced, flexibility is enhanced, and a sound mind is developed.

The value of a healthy spine is overlooked, by those who are lucky enough to take it for granted, but it is a crucial nervous center. The spinal maintenance aspect is a valuable habit to learn at a young age. Yoga practice helps to create some space between the vertebrae, thus extending the life of our spine, and helping us to stay pain free in our later years.

With all the emphasis on good health, and developing awareness, teens that practice Yoga are less likely to be pressured into substance abuse or “following the leader.”

As teens approach adulthood, some of the best gifts parents can bestow on them, beside love, are: Establishing good health habits, the ability to see things as they are, and the ability to think for themselves. Yoga prepares teens for all of their challenges.

Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Marijuana is addictive, it can limit your potential, increase your risks for a number of psychiatric disorders, and there is a withdrawal syndrome associated with the drug.

Marijuana today is not what it was even a couple of decades ago, and parents may be underestimating the threat that marijuana poses to today’s teens.

The potency of marijuana has increased many-fold in the last couple of decades alone, and it is as much as 6 times as strong as the marijuana of the 60′s and 70′s. With increased potency unfortunately comes an increased risk for social and health problems and addiction, and with addiction, the inevitable need to detox off of the drug.

Addictions professionals now recognize marijuana as an addictive drug, and there is a documented syndrome of withdrawal symptoms that occur when marijuana addicts try to break free from their habit. The intensity of these marijuana withdrawal symptoms may not be as great as with drugs like heroin, and they may not be as dangerous as a detox off of alcohol; but they are real, they are unpleasant, and they do pose a threat to recovery.

What are the symptoms of marijuana withdrawal?

Marijuana withdrawal symptoms can include insomnia, irritability, aggression, nausea, a lack of appetite, headaches and very strong cravings for the drug. So strong are the cravings and so uncomfortable are the withdrawal symptoms, that many people cannot get past the initial few days of intense withdrawal, and use marijuana again if only to make the symptoms of withdrawal go away.

Marijuana abuse and addiction is the number one reason for a teen entry into drug treatment or drug rehab, and so strong is today’s pot, that many thousands of kids have developed addictions strong enough to require residential treatment, and untold more thousands have developed as yet untreated addictions.

Heavy marijuana use brings an increased risk of present and future psychiatric problems, including depression, anxiety and psychosis, is linked to certain cancers, is linked to developmental delays, and is strongly and negatively linked to academic performance.

How to beat an addiction to marijuana

The reality is that an occasional joint is very unlikely to do much damage, and many people can use marijuana recreationally at this occasional level. But when recreational use becomes regular abuse, and possibly addiction, the detrimental impacts of marijuana on quality of life and potential become very evident( The problems of marijuana addiction).

Many thousands of kids (and adults) need drug treatment each year for assistance bettering an addiction to marijuana, if someone you love is having difficulty reducing their usage or quitting altogether, there are programs and therapies available, and these can be very helpful for anyone committed to quitting.

It is not unusual for anyone to need professional help when dealing with an addiction, and with marijuana addiction, as with any dependency, it is unlikely to go away on its own; and the sooner it’s dealt with, the better the ultimate prognosis.

As any parent knows, the reality of life is such that most people will overindulge in alcohol at one time or another during their teenage years.

However, heavy drinking, and binge-drinking for the sole purpose of getting drunk can be harmful to a teenager’s physical and mental health. For this reason, many experts continue to be alarmed by teenagers’ attitudes towards alcohol consumption.

Many teenagers begin drinking before they are legally allowed to do so. Alcohol can have many negative effects on the body, especially when the body in question is not fully developed. As well as being damaging to health, consumption of alcohol also impairs judgment, which could lead teenagers to do things they normally wouldn’t.

There are more alcohol-related teenage deaths than deaths for all other drugs combined.

Alcohol is unique in its situation because, although it is a drug, and can cause just as much damage to health as illegal drugs, it is socially accepted.

Parents may in fact be relieved that their son or daughter is consuming alcohol, rather than any harder drugs. However, the reality is that alcohol consumption is fraught with danger.

Any problems or strong emotions that a teenager has to deal with can be made worse by alcohol. It is a depressant, so can increase negative or positive feelings, depending on a teenager’s original mood.

As well as being a danger to themselves, teenagers who have been drinking can also be a danger to the communities they inhabit. Loutish or rowdy behavior caused by alcohol, as well as violence, can ruin the atmosphere of a community.

Additionally, most parties that teens go to have alcohol on site, either provided by hosts, or brought in by other teens. Teens, both boy and girls don’t have the experience to know when they’ve had too much to drink, and in many cases, they drink with the sole purpose of getting drunk.

These sort of behaviors is a common cause of things like Date Rape, fighting, and of course drink driving, one of the biggest causes of fatal accidents, can put many people’s lives in danger.

In fact, given that drinking slows reaction speed, as well as being more likely to crash, a drunk person may in fact have a slightly lower chance of getting seriously injured compared to the other driver, because their muscles will not tense and remain rigid during the crash.

The key to reduce teenage alcohol consumption is education. By educating teenagers about the dangers of alcohol consumption, including drink-driving, depression, and other ill-effects to mental, date rape and physical well being, we hopefully may see a reduction in instances of teenage drinking though it is unlikely.

Because of the ease most teenagers have in obtaining alcohol, it can be regarded as the most dangerous drug of all. Parents with the attitude of ‘Well I’d rather have them drink here where I can supervise them.’ is a joke.

I was a teen once upon a time, and every party I ever went too that had alcohol, and they all did – where the alcohol was provided by the parents, never had the parents supervision anyone.

They stayed upstairs, comfortable that they were being responsible because the kids where in the house and not out driving around.

Wake up parents – you can’t do this and expect to change the behavior of your teens.