Gearing Up for Back To School: Be Sure To Discuss Drug Use With Your Preteens and Teenagers

The adolescent use of legal drugs, illegal drugs, and underage drinking is essentially every parent’s nightmare. Unfortunately, people are more likely to begin abusing drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, and illegal and prescription drugs during their years of adolescence and early adulthood.

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), before graduating high school, nearly 70 percent of high school students will have tried alcohol, 50 percent will have used an illegal drug, close to 40 percent will have smoked cigarettes, and more than 20 percent will have used a prescription drug for recreational purposes.

Adolescents who abuse drugs are notorious for acting rebelliously, poor academic performance, and often dropping out of school. Although the initial decision to start using drugs is typically voluntary, when drug abuse begins to take over, one’s ability to exert self control will be significantly impaired, according to News Press.

The areas of the brain which control factors such as thought processing, decision making, use of judgement, memory and behavioral control are all affected by drug use. During adolescence and early adulthood this particular region of the brain is still developing and maturing, putting adolescents and teens who use drugs at risk for making poor decisions.

With summer coming to an end, many preteens and teens are anxious about transitioning into their next year of middle and high school. As they’re transitioning, especially if their transitioning into high school, they are introduced to new people and activities. Some of these new people and activities may include drug use, therefore it’s important to talk with your preteen and teens about drug use, as well as the dangers and consequences of them using drugs.

It is also important to keep an open line of communication with your children and making them feel comfortable coming to you about their personal issues. Often, adolescents and young adults take drugs to feel good or better, or to do better in certain activities such as sports and studying, and others will do it simply out of curiosity because “others are doing it.” It is not uncommon for preteens and teens to perceive that drugs can help them “feel better” by helping with social anxiety, depression and reducing stress. Also, living in such a competitive society, it’s common for adolescents and teens to be pressured into believing they need to take illegal drugs or prescription stimulants to enhance their performance.

Prevention is the primary and most essential way to address substance abuse during your child’s adolescent and teen years. As a parent, it is important to educate yourself in order to discuss the topic with your children. By doing so, you could be making simple steps towards preventing drug use and substance abuse in your child.

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The post Gearing Up for Back To School: Be Sure To Discuss Drug Use With Your Preteens and Teenagers appeared first on Harbor Village Florida.

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