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![]() ![]() 34 Warning Signs of Teen Drug Use Nothing is more destructive to a teen and/or family than the use of drugs. Consequently, the earlier the intervention the better. The problem is that in most cases teens are using drugs for several months or years before parents become aware. Even when parents do become aware, they often underestimate their own child's involvement. Don't ignore the warning signs. Teens seldom grasp the concept of addiction. Most view themselves as impervious to peril. For some, the stress of adolescence and peer pressure is overwhelming and drugs become an enticing escape from reality.
WHY DO KIDS USE DRUGS? The tendency of parents is to blame outside influences for the use of drugs by their kids. Although things like peer influence, lack of school supervision, media, television, music, etc., can be powerful contributing factors, the choice factor on the part of your teen cannot be ignored. They are more than victims of circumstance and must at least partly be held accountable. Your kids describe the following reasons that they make a choice to use drugs:
THE GATEWAY TO DRUGS Most teens don't begin with hard drugs like cocaine crystal meth or heroin. Most usage begins with drugs that are easily accessible in the adult population and are legal like nicotine and alcohol. Frequently, this begins with easy access in their home or homes of a friend or family member. Tobacco and alcohol are blamed by many experts to be the gateway or path to more serious drug abuse. Teens recognize the general health hazards of smoking, yet often their willingness to take that risk becomes and easy link to trying alcohol. After demonstrating they are risk takers, the natural next step is marijuana. From there it becomes a deadly downward spiral toward other drugs and the destructive behaviors that accompany them. ![]() No matter what drug is involved, the disease of addiction appears to follow a predictable course. Typically, the user begins out of some kind of level of curiosity. If the initial experience produces pleasurable results, the individual will more than likely move on to recreational use with friends at parties or on weekends. They generally come to enjoy the drug more and more which lead to an inevitable increase in usage often during the week and on a regular basis. Soon their lives become centered around getting the drug and finding more opportunities to use it. This begins to interfere with relationships, school, work, and other formerly productive areas of their lives. By now the drug dependency/addiction are in control and the individual is unable to function without the drug. If there is not yet a physical addiction, there is most certainly a psychological dependency upon their drug of choice. If for some reason, the drug become inaccessible, they will then resort to whatever it takes to obtain the drug. e.g sexual favors, stealing, drug-pushing, etc. ![]()
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