By Lillian Basso ‘29
When you’re a parent, finding out your child is participating in activities such as abusing drugs is never easy. Questions start to spiral. “Was it something I did to influence this?” “Did I not talk to my child enough about the risks of abusing drugs?” It becomes a mess in not just your head, but your child’s. When talking about drugs to teens, it’s not about control– it’s about connection.
When parents find out their teen is abusing drugs, 45% of parents are more likely to respond by taking away cellular devices, using derogatory language, un-granting them permission them from going outside, and taking away recent rewards, while the other 18% of parents use tactics such as proper communication, reporting to help-seeking counselors, and even showing vulnerability and revealing past negative experiences when abusing drugs (PUBMED Central).
The Recovery Village took a look at which has more of a positive effect. Unsurprisingly, it’s an honest conversation– not punishment. It’s important to stay rational when your teen needs stability and comfort.
When you’re a teenager, it’s difficult to tell the truth about drug misuse and have awkward conversations with your parents about addiction and drug abuse, but it is absolutely necessary. They need to understand that when parents express their disapproval of their teenager’s drug misuse, it’s to communicate how much of a high risk, no reward action it is. Teenagers are more likely to listen to their parents about substance use prevention than any other adult or form of ‘punishment’ according to the National Library of Medicine. It is important that teenagers think about what their parents say as not an attack, but a concern.
When it comes to the conversation of drug abuse, both parties – parents and teenagers – struggle with how to react and handle the situation. The best way to rationalize with your teenagers and with your parents is to show patience and understanding.
Sources:
https://www.medmutual.com/About-Medical-Mutual/Blog/Hard-Conversations-Talking-to-Your-Kids-About-Drinking-and-Other-Substance-Use
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6474408
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6086348
https://trv-intake-form-rollback.vercel.app/?utm_campaign=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therecoveryvillage.com%2Fteen-addiction%2Fdrug%2Fconfronting-addiction%2F%3Fscrlybrkr%3D06b40c0e&_reload=1778792215311?utm_campaign=therecoveryvillage.com/teen-addiction/drug/confronting-addiction/?scrlybrkr=06b40c0e
Teens and Parents Need Mindfulness in Drug Conversations
By Lillian Basso ‘29
When you’re a parent, finding out your child is participating in activities such as abusing drugs is never easy. Questions start to spiral. “Was it something I did to influence this?” “Did I not talk to my child enough about the risks of abusing drugs?” It becomes a mess in not just your head, but your child’s. When talking about drugs to teens, it’s not about control– it’s about connection.
When parents find out their teen is abusing drugs, 45% of parents are more likely to respond by taking away cellular devices, using derogatory language, un-granting them permission them from going outside, and taking away recent rewards, while the other 18% of parents use tactics such as proper communication, reporting to help-seeking counselors, and even showing vulnerability and revealing past negative experiences when abusing drugs (PUBMED Central).
The Recovery Village took a look at which has more of a positive effect. Unsurprisingly, it’s an honest conversation– not punishment. It’s important to stay rational when your teen needs stability and comfort.
When you’re a teenager, it’s difficult to tell the truth about drug misuse and have awkward conversations with your parents about addiction and drug abuse, but it is absolutely necessary. They need to understand that when parents express their disapproval of their teenager’s drug misuse, it’s to communicate how much of a high risk, no reward action it is. Teenagers are more likely to listen to their parents about substance use prevention than any other adult or form of ‘punishment’ according to the National Library of Medicine. It is important that teenagers think about what their parents say as not an attack, but a concern.
When it comes to the conversation of drug abuse, both parties – parents and teenagers – struggle with how to react and handle the situation. The best way to rationalize with your teenagers and with your parents is to show patience and understanding.
Sources:
https://www.medmutual.com/About-Medical-Mutual/Blog/Hard-Conversations-Talking-to-Your-Kids-About-Drinking-and-Other-Substance-Use
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6474408
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6086348
https://trv-intake-form-rollback.vercel.app/?utm_campaign=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therecoveryvillage.com%2Fteen-addiction%2Fdrug%2Fconfronting-addiction%2F%3Fscrlybrkr%3D06b40c0e&_reload=1778792215311?utm_campaign=therecoveryvillage.com/teen-addiction/drug/confronting-addiction/?scrlybrkr=06b40c0e