Worried About Teen Drug Use? Helpful Information For Concerned Parents

Raising teenagers to be healthy, successful adults is never easy. But parents today may find that doing so is even more difficult than it was for past generations due to the prevalence of teen drug use. If you are parenting a teen and worried that they may be experimenting with illegal drugs, the following information can help you determine if you fears are valid and develop a proactive strategy for addressing them. 

Current statistical information on teen drug use

According to a recent survey results published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), there is some good news regarding teen drug use with age groups ranging from 8th to 12th graders seeing decreases across the board. While this downward trend is an important sign that progress is being made, the statistics still show that more than 13.3 percent of high school seniors have or are currently using one or more illegal drugs. 

Drugs most commonly abused by teens 

Even though statistics show that marijuana use continues to decrease among each teen age group surveyed, parents may be shocked to realize that teens are still more likely to smoke a joint than a cigarette.  In addition to pot, the drugs most commonly used by teenagers include: 

• heroin 
• Ecstasy (also called Molly and MDMA)
• methamphetamine 
• prescription drugs, especially opioids
• LSD 
• synthetic or designer drugs, such as bath salts, 

Many parents may be surprised to learn that even readily available over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, such as cold remedies and cough syrups are also abused by teens. 

Learning to recognize the signs of teen drug use

Since the teenage years are often emotional ones for teens, even for those who are not abusing drugs, it can be difficult for parents to determine when to worry. In many cases, simple changes in their child's general attitude and activity level may be an indicator that they are experimenting with drugs. For instance, withdrawing from daily family life or losing interest in activities that once were favorites can be a sign of drug use, as can moodiness, declining interest in their appearance, and falling grades in school. 

Parents who find evidence that their teen is using drugs must take immediate action. If the usage is limited to experimentation, parents may want to explore counseling or therapy to help their child. Parents who find that their children are regularly using illegal drugs and have become addicted should explore more specialized care, such as detoxification treatment available through a drug detox center, like The Lakes Treatment Center.