Teen Drug Use

Whether or not you think it can happen in your home, your teenager is most likely experimenting with drugs or alcohol. I say that because you probably wouldn't be reading this "teen troubles" article unless you were already having some pretty big problems with your teen.

It's always surprising to me that parents don't have a clue that their teen is using drugs. When they ask for my help and then list their teen's issues, it's immediately clear to me that drug use is involved:

"My son is truant, lies, steals, runs away, is disrespectful, deceitful, has anger issues, failing school, has the wrong friends, and seems to hate our family." Or, "My child has stolen my car, my wallet, my cell phone. He suddenly has depression, ADD, ODD, or seems to have identity issues. He has been a great kid but has now turned into someone we don't recognize."

Fact is, parents are facing a difficult battle of raising kids in a teen culture bent on experimenting with every possible drug. In addition to alcohol and the common illegal drugs we all know about, teens today are learning from the Internet and from their peers about every other way to get high, including potent concoctions of common items and prescription drugs readily available in your home and even some of the plants found in your yard. Though usually less addictive, some of these are even riskier to your teen's health and mental stability than the better known street drugs!

What these parents don't seem to realize is that hidden drug use may be the underlying reason they are seeing behavioral issues in their teen. Unless the possibility of drug use is first ruled out, all the counseling help in the world will have no positive effect. Your teen will continue to struggle with life for as long as they are taking drugs, and usually for many months thereafter.