5 Tips for Confronting a Teen's Substance Abuse

Roughly 75% of all high school students have used tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine. Of these teenagers, 1 in 5 is considered addicted to one of these substances. Teen addiction is at a high as it is much easier for teenagers to acquire drugs, alcohol, and vaporizer products than ever before.

Many teenagers say that acquiring vapor products is extremely easy. Actually, nicotine vaping has become the new addiction of the 21st century in adolescents.

As parents, we want to ensure that our children are safe and free to make their own decisions. However, these decisions may not be what we want for them. Maybe they are making unhealthy decisions or dangerous choices that could lead to serious harm for them. During their teenage years, our children are very vulnerable and going through the motions of becoming a young adult. They have more responsibilities, new options, new friends, and are starting to truly enter the world.

You can try your absolute best to protect them, but they will still make up their own minds. However, this doesn’t mean you should stop communicating with them or showing them that you care. On the contrary, this is the single most important time of their lives when you need to interject and let them know that you are always there for them. How you do this will make a huge impact on your futures together.

If you are noticing that your child is abusing alcohol, marijuana, or other substances that are otherwise illegal for their age or illegal in general, use these five tips to help them start a better path to adulthood.

1. Remain Calm

Though it is eating away at you and you are more concerned about your child’s health than ever before, take a deep breath. If you are confronting your child about their substance abuse, you don’t want to go in guns blazing. It is important that you retain your composure and address them as you normally would, with tact. The ball is in your court. They don’t know that you are aware of their substance abuse, so how you present yourself and speak your mind to them will affect the conversation. Leading an intervention with anger or disappointment may only push them further away.

2. Don’t Assume They Are Addicted

Just because your teenager is substance-abusing, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are addicted. They could be using these substances for particular usage on and off. Addiction is when your child refuses to stop or can’t help themselves from using the substance. Before you enter a conversation with them, think about their usage first.

3. Ask Them Why They Are Using The Substance(s)

That’s right, ask them the “why” not the “how”. While many questions are formulating in your mind, the main question you need to ask your child is what they think the purpose of using the substance is. What do they think it is doing for them? If your child is abusing substances, there is typically a reason as to why. It could be depression, a sense of feeling lost, peer pressure, or any number of reasons.

4. Don’t Pry

Asking questions is extremely important to better understand your child’s wellbeing, but be careful with your line of questioning. You don’t want to overwhelm your child to the point that they block you out or shut down.

5. Show Empathy and Really Listen to Them

Show compassion and empathy to your teenager. They are obviously needing counsel, but they are keeping information from you for a reason. By listening to them and showing that you care about what’s happening to them and how it can affect their future, you are providing them the nurturing that they need.

When confronting your child, know that they are scared and don’t know how to handle things on their own. Even if they seem like an adult or talk like one, they are still a child at heart and need direction. You can map that for them! If all else fails, contact a professional at a residential treatment center for troubled teens to provide assistance for you and your family.