Parents Are Increasingly Concerned About the Rise in Teenage Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is something all parents fear for their teenagers, especially with the alarming rise in teenage drug addiction. Thankfully, there are many ways to help your teen avoid becoming addicted to drugs, including vaping.

If you are worried your teenager is addicted already, you can take action quickly and help them recover and live a healthy life free of drugs. The sooner you take action the better. We therefore hope this article provides a better understanding of the problem and the best ways to deal with it.

Factors in Drug Use in Teenagers

Anyone under 25 is at greater risk of using drugs and other harmful substances. However, there are other factors. Young people in deprived areas or with mental health problems are more likely to use drugs and be vulnerable to becoming addicted.

Risk Factors for Teenage Drug Use

• Untreated mental health problems
• Lack of parental guidance
• Peer Drug Use
• Aggressive Personality or Behaviour
• Childhood abuse
• Poverty or deprivation

Although some reasons increase the chances of drug use and addiction, it can happen to anyone. Even the specific type of drug used can influence the chances of more frequent drug taking and dependence.

Peer pressure often has a huge impact, and that can be particularly evidenced in the current rise in vaping. Teenagers consider this fun and harmless, but vapes were only intended as a safer alternative to smoking, and an effective option for anyone finding it hard to give up cigarettes. Vapes often contain toxic and addictive substances, especially those that are not sold through normal resellers, and the long-term impacts are becoming increasingly clear.

The alarming rise in addiction to vapes has resulted in an increasing number of young people being hospitalised for lung-related damage due to vaping.

The 4 Patterns of Drug Use in Teenagers

Young people are more likely to participate in risky behaviour regardless of their lifestyle and peer group. This is due to the naturally experimental and boundary testing of people at this age.

Drug use is very common in teenagers, with 11,326 under 18s in the UK needing help with drug or alcohol problems between 2021 and 2022.

This is a rise in previous numbers, although the overall trend is dropping, offering hope to parents concerned their children will be exposed to overwhelming peer pressure to use drugs.

Most Common Drugs Used by Young People

Cannabis is the most commonly used recreational illegal drug misused by people under 18. The number of youths in addiction treatment for marijuana is double that of alcohol in 2021. This is followed by nicotine.

After cannabis, the most commonly used drug was cocaine, followed by the party drug ecstasy. These drugs are very popular with young people who visit nightclubs, raves and parties.

The less popular illegal drugs among teens were opiates such as heroin and crack cocaine. Both have a negative public image as highly destructive to your social life and health. Both are extremely addictive after only one or two times and are a common cause of overdose.

Teenage Drug Use vs Drug Addiction

Not every young person who tries drugs will develop an addiction, even if they use it more than once. However, the risk of becoming addicted is higher in people who start using drugs or alcohol at a young age.

Whether this is because drugs affect developing brains more or the influences of poverty, abuse and mental health, tend to reoccur even in older age is unknown.

Certainly, people who use alcohol and marijuana while young have lower brain volume and are less able to learn and remember new things.

How Can I Help My Teen

Education

Prevention is better than cure, and education is key to stopping young people from doing drugs.

This might be hard if you don’t know much about drugs yourself, especially if you grew up in the ‘Just Say No’’ era, where even talking about drugs was frowned upon.

Understanding what drugs your child is exposed to can help you to speak with them about it in an informed way.

The worst thing you can do is get angry or authoritative with your child about drugs and drug use. Threats or punishments are ineffective in stopping children from doing drugs, making them more likely to lie and hide drug use from you.

Be Honest and Kind

It is important to be honest with your teenager; more often than not, they know when you are lying or being economical with the truth. You should be honest without ruining your credibility if you have tried drugs.

Your experience may make you seem more informed and get your teens’ attention. Be sure to approach any discussion with the direction that you don’t want them to take drugs, cave to peer pressure or become addicted. Stick to the bad reasons and consequences of drugs that you experienced.

My Teenager is Addicted to Drugs. What Can I Do?

Even the best efforts can fail, and young people with no risk factors can become addicted. Getting professional help for your teenager is vital; thankfully, you have options for support.

Rehab for Teens

Inpatient Rehab

Peer pressure is a common reason for drug use and addiction, so staying in a completely alcohol and drug-free environment can remove this issue. It can also remove some of the pressure and stress of having a drug-addicted teenager living at home.

There will also be round-the-clock medical supervision for your child during their detox period, which can be very worrying and stressful for parents and guardians.

Teenagers are often more likely to respond to a figure of authority than their parents. The doctors and addiction counsellors in rehab may find it easier to persuade young people to make meaningful changes.

Their experience of addiction, both professionally and firsthand, lends credibility to their ideas that a parent who has never suffered from addiction may not have.

If you need help finding a rehab suitable for your teenager, you can speak to Detox Plus. Our professional team has dealt with teens with drug addiction, understands the challenges, and knows how to approach this issue best. This includes taking a holistic approach to addiction recovery.

Outpatient Rehab

Community help for young people is mixed. While the community is heavily invested in helping young people stop drinking and taking drugs, they may feel isolated in support groups.

Most support groups accept people of all ages, but most are older, which may leave teens both out and vulnerable.

Living With an Addicted Young Person

One of the hardest things about becoming addicted to drugs in your teens is that you will have to live with it for much longer than older people in the same position.

A robust support network and a firm idea of the boundaries your addiction has placed on you are vital. Also, make mental health a priority for a teenager with an addiction. Healthy, happy and supported teens are much less likely to relapse into addiction.