A child taking drugs isn’t an easy problem but if you seek support for yourself and keep a level head you could help your child break the habit and build a new life.
Every parent’s hidden fear is that their child’s taking drugs. Wild tales of parties fuelled by the drug ecstasy have made many parents panic. But it is lack of knowledge and experience that makes the situation so frightening. Whereas you may feel that you could cope with teenage rebellion, or the emotional troubles of adolescence, a drug problem can be terrifying because it brings out the unknown in your child.
The most important thing to understand is that in the vast majority of cases, your child’s use of drugs will be a simple case of experimentation which will eventually stop of its own accord. This doesn’t mean you should ignore it because drug-taking is illegal.
However, experimentation is different from a situation where a child is using drugs heavily. If your child is involved in drug abuse you may be a key person in helping him or her give up. One of the first steps in doing this is to find out what you’re up against.
Identify the Signs
It isn’t easy, especially when your child first takes drugs or uses them only occasionally, to realise what’s happening. Many of the signs of drug abuse are like those of growing up, so don’t jump to conclusions. They include:
- sudden changes of mood
- irritability or aggression
- loss of appetite
- loss of interest in hobbies, sport, schoolwork, friends
- bouts of drowsiness or sleeplessness
- increased evidence of telling lies or furtive behaviour
- unexplained loss of money or belongings from the home
- unusual smells, stains or marks on the body or clothes
- powders, tablets, capsules, aluminium foil, needles or syringes
The Next Step – Do’s and Don’ts
DON’T panic at the thought of your child using drugs. It may be a reaction to another problem. Try to find out more about the nature of the drug use before you assume the worst. Over-reaction won’t improve the situation.
DO seek information about drugs. There’s plenty of literature available from doctors, lawyers and social welfare groups that may answer your questions.
DO seek advice straight away if you feel the situation is Serious.
DO understand that if your child has a drug problem, you will need help and support to cope with the situation, as well as strength and confidence. The first step in gaining these is to arm yourself with knowledge.
DO remember that there’s no magic answer, no tried and tested approach that will stop your child abusing drugs. All you can do is offer assistance and try to create an environment which will enable your child to confide in you and ask for your help.
How Can You Help?
It is important to keep the lines of communication open and that means talking, not shouting or nagging. Don’t just relate horror stories of drug-taking.
Decide on the right approach for you and the family. This will depend on the sort of relationship you have with your child, his or her age and behaviour patterns. Some parents decide to banish the child from home until he or she has decided to seek help in coming off drugs. Others try to become very close to their child in an attempt to understand the attraction of drugs and to fight it.
Just talking to other people in the same situation can be a vast relief.
Stopping Drug Use
The decision to stop taking drugs can be made only by your child. Once he or she has indicated a desire to come off them, then it’s a good idea to get help and advice from a doctor. You need to know if your child will require medical facilities to help withdraw from the physical effects of the drug and you must understand what has to be done to help them cope with life, without developing a drug problem again. If they’re really “hooked”, a drug dependency clinic may offer a suitable withdrawal programme with support and counselling.
Staying Off Drugs
Staying off drugs means that the lifestyle of the user must change substantially, so that they don’t fall into the same pattern of drug abuse again. You can help by:
- understanding that it’s not stopping that’s so hard, it’s staying off
- not expecting the user to give up drugs and recover in a couple of weeks
- encouraging your child to find an occupation, preferably one where he or she is given a degree of responsibility and trust
- being flexible and, above all, not giving up if your child turns to drugs again.
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