Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Dealing With Teenage Drug Addiction

Teenage Drug Addiction is a huge problem in America. So may young teens are experimenting with drugs, being prescribed drugs, and all at a very early age. Before entering high school 20% of teens are reported to have tried marijuana, 15% of high school age teens have reported to have tried cocaine, and over 1.8 million teens aged 12 and older are current cocaine users.


Teens that drink are proven 50% more likely to experiment with illegal drugs than those who don’t. The younger the teen is when they start drinking or experimenting with drugs, the higher the risk they are to develop an addiction. Dealing with teenage drug addiction can be extremely difficult, as in most cases, there are underlying physiological problems that exist.

Teenagers who have had a trauma in their lives, such as a divorce in the home, sexual abuse, or physical abuse are more likely to become addicted to drugs. The fact that one or both parents have an alcohol or drug problem will also be leading factors in the teen’s drug addiction.

Low self esteem, peer pressure, and the need to fit in, along with any or all of the above factors, can throw a teen in to an addiction, where they try to numb the pains of reality that are proven too difficult to deal with. You have to find out what is going on in the teens life to determine what the reason was they turned to drugs in the first place. The teen will need professional help to deal with the emotions that surround their addiction. There are great programs that are geared towards teenage drug addiction, the Drug Rehab Referral Service, located on the web at: www.drugrehabreferralservices.org, will offer some very helpful information on finding the right rehab or treatment center.

Te best way to deal with teenage drug addiction, is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Just by talking to your child about drugs and alcohol will make them 42% less likely to experiment with drugs. If your teen has been dealing with depression, anxiety, or had a trauma in their life it is best to talk to them, help them thru any difficult times, but most of all, listen to them, watch them, and keep them on track and out of trouble.

Teenage drug addiction is a serious problem, one that will carry on into their adult life. Because they usually fail to see the long lasting repercussions of their actions, we should see it, and do what we can to prevent it.

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