Are Teens Getting Drugs from Their Homes?

Research has been conducted by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry about addiction in teens. It was found that teens are obtaining drugs from their friends and are using leftover prescribed medications that they find at home. As they might not get access to marijuana or heroin, they are making things work with whatever they find at home or from the friends.

It has been observed that girls are more prone to using leftover drugs from home, and boys usually buy the drugs illegally. 30% of teens are using prescribed drugs from the medicine cabinets at their homes. When someone uses drugs that are not prescribed to them, it is called diversion and it can easily lead to addiction. The more they consume the drugs, the risk of becoming an addict goes on increasing.

Parents might not know but teens are using several sources for obtaining drugs that can be used for substance abuse. A survey was conducted on the students, and most of the 12th-grade students said that prescribed opioids are easy to find. One in every eight senior students in high school is using prescribed opioids that they are obtaining from several illegal sources.

Parents often don’t believe that their kids can’t use drugs, maybe that is the reason they don’t check up on their kids and never doubt them. Parents having confidence in their kids is a good thing, but they must know that there are a lot of reasons that can lead to their kids using drugs. When their kids step outside of their house, use social media, get stuck to their smartphone, they are likely to get into things that are not suitable for them.

Monitor Kids Now

Why Do Teens Seek Drugs?

Teens do the most unexpected and unpredictable things. When you are expecting them to be nice and decent, they are out doing adventurous and risky things with their friends. Substance abuse is quite common in teens and several reasons take teens to this road. Here some of the reasons that lead kids to drug addiction:

· Genetics

Believe it or not, but if you were a drug addict while carrying a child in your womb, your kid will have a higher tendency of becoming an addict as compared to those whose parents have nothing to do with it. Sometimes, it runs in the family and the kids are automatically drawn towards drug addiction. While some kids don’t get addicted no matter how many times they are exposed to such an environment. Genetics and addiction issues running in the family play a strong role in the addiction of teens.

· Environment

Family, friends, and the surroundings where teens usually live matter a lot in playing a role in the addiction. If they are exposed to substance abuse continuously, they will fall into the trap one day. Environment matters a lot when adapting a habit and getting addicted to anything. Exposure to a stressful and unbearable environment also plays an important role in drug addiction.

· Stress and Anxiety

Are you putting a lot of pressure on your kid to get good grades? Or do you fight a lot at home? Do they face bullies every day? There are a lot of stressors in our teens’ lives that we don’t pay attention to, but these things are constantly affecting them. When they decide that they can’t take it anymore, they seek ways and addiction is one of the easiest ways to put away all the tension and be at ease.

· Curiosity

Teens do a lot of things out of curiosity; they see people using a smartphone, they want one too, they see people hiking, they want to go hiking too, they see people posting pictures on social media, they want to do that too. In the same way, drug addiction comes as a fantasy to them. When they go to parties, they meet people there enjoying their lives and pretending to be flying in the air. They also want to know what made them so light so teens decide to try the drugs the other people are on.

Signs of Teen Drug Addiction

Are you convinced that you must keep an eye on your kid to rule out drug addiction? If yes, then look for the following signs to prove that they are indeed trying out drugs:

A sudden fall in the academic performances
Bloodshot eyes
Frequent episodes of munching and hunger
Avoiding eye contact
Secretive behavior
Usually tired all the times
Showing poor hygiene
Loss of interest in the activities they used to enjoy once
Bad smell
Avoiding conversations about their activities and routine
Lying about their friends
Stealing money or medications

What Should Parents Do?

If you think your kid is falling into this trap, or you feel the need to guide them about this before something bad happens, here are some effective tips that come in handy in such cases:

Communicate with them. Tell them straight that there are kids out there falling into this trap and why you shouldn’t do what others are doing. Tell them about the damages that drug addiction can do, show them the news, share stories, and show them that you are confident that they won’t fall into this trap because they are wise.
Monitor them continuously. Many parents don’t opt for this option until the worse happens. This should be on the must-to-do list of the parents to know what their kids are up to on their smartphone. Usually, kids are having drug relates a discussion with their friends, sharing their experiences, and talking all about it. You can know it through the use of the right monitoring app such as Mobistealth. This is the best monitoring app that can provide you all the information about the activities of your kids. You can know what they are talking about and if they are using drugs or not. If you’re into Facebook spying, then you must give Mobistealth a shot.
Even if they make the mistake of using drugs, parents should be welcoming and teach them the right way that it is fine and they can turn back. Guide them well, don’t scold them, and make sure they understand that they can come to you whenever things go wrong. Follow positive parenting tips and raise your kids better.

Drug addiction in teens is a serious issue and parents need to take serious steps for this matter to be in control.