What Steps Do I Take If My Child Is Using Drugs?

We first discovered that David had a serious problem with alcohol and marijuana when he was 15.  Like many parents who make this initial determination we thought that now we were aware of the problem that vigilance would solve everything.  But we were wrong.

Early on there was much we didn't understand about addiction especially the fact that by the time David began to get careless enough with his drug use that we became aware of it, his use was already at a very serious level. 

So what do you do when you discover that your adolescents drug use has gone beyond experimentation and may have progressed to addiction?

Here is a list of 24 suggestions of what to do next from  The 24 Group who believe that:

• Addiction is a biological disease and as such should carry no social shame or stigma.
• There is effective treatment for addiction.
• Treatment should be available to all regardless of socio-economic status or access to insurance.
• Family education and support enhances treatment effectiveness and success for the adolescent/young adult.
• Addiction is a family disease; parents and other family members need their own treatment and support to achieve and maintain recovery from the devastating effects of this disease.
• Staying connected with a treatment program enhances chances of long-term success.

24 Steps to Take if Your Adolescent is Using Drugs or Alcohol

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1. Have your adolescent evaluated by a professional drug counselor or treatment facility
2. Immediately admit your child to a drug treatment program if it is recommended
3. Educate yourself and your family about the disease of addiction
4. Seek family counseling from a group or a professional specializing in addiction
5. Consider attending Al-Anon or Al-A-Teen meetings
6. Understand that addiction will lead to prison, institutions or death if not treated
7. Understand that no one has any control over the addicted adolescent except the addict
8. Do not give your adolescent cash or credit cards
9. Recognize that addicted adolescents have a disease and do not reason the same way as non-addicted teens
10. Do not make excuses for your adolescent’s behavior; let the natural consequences of their actions occur
11. Do not feel guilty about your parenting skills, your child made the decision to abuse drugs
12. Realize that emotional maturity in addicted adolescents stops from the time they begin their drug or alcohol use
13. Set and communicate clear behavior standards for the adolescent to live by while living in your home, no fuzzy or gray areas
14. Hold the addicted adolescent accountable for their actions
15. Consider suspending their driving privileges until the teen achieves sobriety
16. If the adolescent is facing legal problems, do not intervene, let the natural consequences occur
17. Be wary of the addict’s skills at manipulating people and events
18. Consider removing or securing all alcohol, narcotic prescription medication, cold medication, etc. from your home
19. Realize that addiction is a life long disease that cannot be cured, but can be treated
20. All family members should try to be of the same mind set when setting behavioral expectations for the teen, and when holding them accountable
21. Realize that addiction is a family disease that has a negative impact on all members of the family
22. The addicted adolescents recovery is his program, you should not try to work harder than the teen at that program
23. Relapses are common, recovery is achieved one small step at a time
24. Learn to live life with an addict one day at a time, and be grateful for the time you have together