Youths, Drugs And Alcohol

When children grow into teens it is a time of hormones, emotions and often experimentation too. Some of what teens go through at this stage are just normal developmental processes as they become more competent in certain things and achieve independence in certain ways. While the volatility of this time varies from one youth to another, the addition of parental and school pressure, peer pressure and an inclination to risky behaviour can mean that things like alcohol consumption, smoking and experimenting with drugs become an issue. The problem is that such experimental behavior can lead to physical and mental harm and include things like car accidents, injuries, and even murder and suicide. That is why efforts towards suicide prevention at the same time as efforts towards helping teens get away from their alcohol or drug issue are needed.

Talking to teens about alcohol and drugs

The key question a lot of parents have is how to approach their teens about alcohol and drugs. How can they make a difference in their approach so that they can handle any abuse that is happening or preferably avoid the abuse to start with? There are a variety of resources you can draw on to help with this including a suicide prevention charity. Some facts to cover and consider are as follows;

1. The earlier a youth starts to drink the more risk they will become alcohol dependent, as a teen and then as an adult. Children that start drinking before 15 years old are four times as likely to become dependent.
2. When there is a history of alcohol or drug addiction in the family a teen is more likely to also be affected by the disease even if the parents have since recovered successfully.
3. It is important to talk about addiction as the disease it is and be open with them if there is a chance they are more susceptible because of genetics.
4. There can be a tendency for parents to see alcohol as something teens would normally experiment with, and drugs as the worse issue. In fact, alcohol is so easy for teens to get a hold of and underage drinking can lead to tragic things. More issues happen when teens have been to a party, got drunk and driven or got into a car with someone who is drunk.
5. It is easier for children to get their hands on marijuana than you think and any child is vulnerable. They might also want to try medications to alter their mood and then share those with friends.
6. Some parents think there is little point in talking to their children since they will just do what they want and won’t listen to them. This is not the case, with anything from drug and alcohol abuse to suicide prevention, parents can make a difference.
7. It is important that not just parents are involved but the whole community especially the school and any structured activities they do. Look at a suicide prevention charity for resoruces and ideas.