Parenting tips to get your kids out of drug addiction

Nowadays everyone is behind addiction, and everyone loves to get addicted. Addiction may be for fun, money, comforts, social networking or at the worst, drugs of different sorts. Addiction to drugs can destroy everything. Addiction is good, but for good things only. Change life to a glass of wine and enjoy it. If it’s the case of drugs, youth is attracted to it most. Through proper parenting, we can help them to get out of the firm grip of such hazards.

Kids who get addicted to drinks and drugs have the same stories to tell at counseling. Father doesn’t spend time with me; he is engaged in business full time, and I filled this loneliness in life with drugs. Mother loves my younger brother than me. To get over this grief, I found solace in drinks. As I am not brilliant in studies, I get repeated humiliation from school and home. When I smoke, I get rid of these disturbing thoughts.

Reasons are many, which prompt teenagers and youth to get intoxicated. They have their own vision about how to live, and they less care about others’ opinions. They give due importance to enjoyment, and if not kept track of their activities, it’s quite natural that they may take wrong paths. For some of them, drugs give temporary enjoyment and they believe that it keeps them fully relaxed from all sorts of troubles, at least for a while. Some just want to get thrill, and for get-togethers, they may love to enjoy with drugs. And the most worst case – a few have the concept that it’s a heroic act to use drugs.

70% of kids learn the lessons of intoxication from family itself. It starts with drinks and smoking, and slowly it spreads to other forms too. Some parents don’t find it harmful to offer a drink to their child for family get-togethers, and a few are interested in social drinking, nowadays promoted by social life and life style. These methods easily promote such bad habits among younger ones, and give them a wrong lesson that it’s not a bad habit.

Bad friendships can ruin your kids

Your kids own a huge friends’ circle. But how many of them do you know or familiar with? How many have you contacted with? In most of such drug addiction stories, friendships play an important role. During teens and youth, same aged persons can influence a kid more than parents. For the same reason, friendships play an important role in bringing kids to the world of addiction. Even if you manage to get him out of this juncture, bad friendships can once again push him back to zero. In short, you need to heal the friendly relations too, if you want to take your kid away from the grip of drugs. As a good parent, you can, if you really believe to do so, guiding them to a better tomorrow. 

What he does in hostel?

Drugs are easily available in schools, colleges and hostels which help youth to remain energetic for long time. Such drugs are known as stimulant drugs. Cocaine belongs to this group. When he stays awake using these drugs, he can’t avoid them if he needs sleep later. Depressant drugs such as heroin are used for this purpose.

In most cases, kids get addicted to synthetic drugs during college days. He starts the primary lessons of drugs while staying at hostel with his friends. A few students use stimulant drugs during exam time to stay awake at nights for study. When he uses such drugs, he gets deprived of sleep, and he needs drugs if he wants to sleep later. That’s how they start with drugs and slowly turn slaves. Later they can’t get out of the loop. They can’t exist without drugs.

1. When parents send their kids to good colleges and hostels aiming for excellence in academics, their responsibilities don’t end there. Actually it’s a new beginning. At frequent intervals you need to visit them as hostels, and communicate with them regularly through phone.

2. You can request your hostel warden to keep an eye on him. If he returns late to hostel, warden should know its reasons. If replies are not satisfactory, it is his duty to find the reasons. And above all, give chance to your kids to fully open their minds before you.

3. Many cases have been reported where students who stay at hostel may take drugs in the pretend of medicines. Also many drugs for dreadful diseases like cancer are also used for getting ‘kick’.

4. As per laws, medicines should be given by pharmacist to those only who approach with medical prescription. While giving medicines, if felt doubted, the pharmacist can ask a copy of prescription.

How to find it?

Parents should observe their kids. They should have a clear idea about their friends, where they go, what they do etc.

1. Children may feel restless if he finds he is being watched. He may also feel that his parents don’t believe him. So, parents should keep note of it. But they should never neglect even slight change of behavior in their kids. Dressing, hair style, type of songs he listens too, movies he watch – you can take a minute note of all these simple things, and chances in recent times.

2. It’s possible to find the usage of drugs through certain behaviors exhibited by the person and certain indications. Small burns in his clothes may be due to the use of cigarettes or smoking drugs. If you notice blood in his clothes and injection marks in his body, never neglect it.

3. If a person frequently uses drugs, his eyes turn red. If he spends too much time in bathroom in the recent times, it might be an indication that he uses drugs.

4. While cleaning his room, you can check such drugs in his room.

5. You can keep note of his food habits and sleeping pattern too. Some people are tempted to eat more if he they take drugs. A few drink plenty of water. While using stimulant drugs like cocaine, he may lose sleep. When he sleeps late at night, it temps him to use heroin to get sleep. If he sleeps long at daytime too, keep an eye on him.

6. In character and behavior, he may show visible changes if addicted to drugs. Some may turn introvert. They keep themselves isolated from social life and love to stay alone. Anger without any reason, short temper, fuzzy nature, depression – he may express it through different ways.

7. If he finds new friendly relations, give extra attention in this case. Company with elders, visits of strangers etc can invite dangers. If you feel suspicious of any such strangers, inform the police.

Awareness doesn’t mean scaring

If you find that your child uses drugs, never blame him. It only worsens the situation. Advices like drug addicts can affect his brain and can also take his life may not get desired results. His wrong friends may try to make him believe that his youthful days get extended with the use of drugs, and in most cases kids at teenage and youth rely on friends’ advice than parents. Such friends may also guide him to take wrong direction, asking him why to kill his happiness, and parents are just fooling him.

Kids are tempted to try drugs at least once, when he knows about such things through friends or through social media messages, movies etc. Many of them just use it once to know its after effects, and if used once, it’s not easily possible to get out of its grip. The fantasy world of dreams and illusions away from all sorrows may give him a unique sort of pleasure. Also, when they see their superstars onscreen with whisky bottles in hand, they try to imitate them. When their favourite stars give such wrong messages to youngsters, youth may feel nothing wrong with it. In case, parents can take their kid for counseling. If needed, doctors may suggest further treatment and use of medicines.

It’s not just the duty of parents, but teachers can also play a significant part to keep him away from consumption of drugs. In worst stage, such drugs give easy earning method to youth. Before they turn carriers of drugs, you should save them, and for that suitable awareness schemes can be done.

If we watch tobacco ad shown in theatres just before the beginning of film, you can notice that it gives a scary feel, giving its consequences. But drug mafia manages to brainwash youngsters giving them wrong messages, and trick them to do it once. Better idea is to teach kids since young and plant good ideas in his mind at an earlier stage, before he gets such information from outer world. Why can’t we brainwash our kids for their better tomorrow, keep them vigilant against drugs, and planting good thoughts in their mind? Awareness against drugs should be strictly provided in school syllabus too.

Treatment at the right time

Discussions go on in full swing, how the use of drugs harms society and youth. But only a few such attempts identify drug addiction to be a disease. Every disease needs treatment. So if your kid gets addicted to any form of drugs, give him suitable treatment at the right time. Though percentage of women who use drugs is comparatively low, they exhibit more temptation to reuse it, comparing with their counterpart.

If a person forgets himself, he may turn insane, and his mind tempts him to commit all sorts of crime such as rapes, murder, robbery etc. If he dares to do so, the consequences will be fierce beyond all our expectations. In many of criminal cases reported, there is the presence of drugs. It is not easy to uproot this mafia easily. Only possibility is to reduce the urge of people to consume it. If consumers show a steep cut, the supply will also be blocked somewhere.

Kids should be given proper awareness since young, and most effective method is to divert their attention to something interesting, or their passions and hobbies. Sports – effective medicine or vaccination campaign to all sorts of drug addictions. Apart from providing them health, it also supplies them with energy, and never allows him wander around.

When we impose our desires on our kids

Parents also share a small role if kids get addicted to drugs. Healthy competition is good. But also teach kids to take everything in a sportive mind. When he is forced to study better and finish first in class tests and competitions, you plant some wrong messages in him since young. Never ask him to score more than his friend. Instead encourage him to use his talents best and bring out his true potential, not just studies, but also any kind of passion he loves to express – either sports or arts. Never measure his talent based on the marks he scored in exams.

When you impose high burdens on him, he falls. He may not find enough time to achieve his true passions, and he lives as a new stranger or person extremely different from him. When he doesn’t reach the mark created by you and fall short of your expectations, he gets despaired and may also feel insecure. It reduces his confidence level too, and he may take wrong paths.

Never try to hide the matter if you find your kid is addicted to drugs. Treatment should be started as early as possible. Teachers too have an important role to play. If they come to notice of drug selling or anything related to it, they should inform the police. Let us uproot this evil for a better future of our kids.

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