The drug use in adolescents It is a problem of social origin that can have serious consequences on the physical, mental and emotional health of young people. It is proven that the early use of drugs, of whatever type (legal and illegal) increases the chances of the person becoming addicted and developing other problems serious. Due to the physical and psychological changes that appear in puberty, the first drug use usually appears in adolescence. Therefore, early detection and prevention of this problem is important to avoid addiction. But, How to prevent drug addiction in adolescents?
In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to let you know what are the main risk factors that can lead to drug use in adolescents, as well as we will provide you with a series of tips to prevent this addiction among adolescents.
Risk factors for drug use in adolescents.
It must be taken into account that parents and teachers at school are the main references of young people and their role models in terms of values and education. So it is convenient to transmit the
Obviously, not all adolescents are going to experiment with drugs or begin their consumption, it is really unknown what exactly are the reasons why some choose to consume them and others don't. However, it has been found that there are some risk factors that allow an adolescent to start using drugs and become addicted. Some of these factors are as follows:
Social and environmental factors
These factors refer to the environment in which the adolescent operates and the people with whom he interacts. The most unfavorable environments that can lead the young person to experiment and start using drugs are, for example, the living in a disadvantaged environment where there may be permissiveness in the sale and consumption of drugs, poverty, availability of the use of weapons, belong to a social circle where drug use is common, the constant advertising of legal drugs, among others.
Family factors
In the family there may also be certain parental circumstances and / or behaviors that have a direct influence to favor drug use in children. Some of these factors are, for example, having parents or caregivers who are habitual consumers, that there are marked family problems and / or family disintegration, parents have a favorable attitude towards drugs, lack of communication and trust between parents and children, a style inefficient parenting where parents are not responsible for their children, lack of rules and limits at home, lack of affection in the family, among others.
Individual factors
The individual factors refer to the personality, character, tastes and preferences of each individual. In this case, some of the personality traits that may have a greater tendency to initiate drug use are, for example, when the adolescent has low self-esteem, have a low tolerance for frustration, little sense of responsibility so they do not perceive the risks that drug use entails the search for new sensations, difficulty managing intense emotions and communicating assertively, among others.
In this other Psychology-Online article we will discover how treat a rebellious teenager with tips that can help you solve this situation.
5 tips to prevent drug addiction.
It is difficult to be in control of this situation, especially since adolescents are at an age where begin to go out alone with their friends and you have to accept that you cannot have full control of everything it happens to them. However, if you can take a series of attitudes and measures that will be favorable to prevent drug addiction in adolescents.
Promote communication
It is essential to encourage young people can have enough trust with parents to express your wishes, feelings, problems, doubts, etc. taking into account that it is normal that they do not want to tell them in great detail each of the situations they go through, without However, when it comes to important issues where they can be affected, they have to feel that confidence to open up and clarify their Doubts.
For this, it is essential to know that you should not try to force them to speak, as if it were something regulatory because it will cause the opposite effect on them. It is better to know how to wait without demanding or asking too much, nor should you judge what they think, even if you think otherwise, It is always good to try to put yourself in the adolescent's shoes and help them find healthy solutions or alternatives to what they it happens.
Another important aspect is to maintain open communication path always about everyday topics, for example talking about a current topic, asking how he did in school in general, etc.
Boost your self-esteem
It should be favored that the adolescent increases her self-confidence and self-esteem, How can it be achieved? There are several ways to do it, some of them can be the following: praising their achievements, criticizing them in a constructive way, making them learn to perceive the positive side of the failure highlighting the teaching that it leaves them and motivating them to do better, giving them words of encouragement and encouragement when they need it, encouraging them to carry out activities that they like, among other. In this other article we will tell you how helping a teenager with low self-esteem.
Establish and respect rules and limits
It is necessary set clear rules and limits at home and at school which should never be skipped. This helps teens to take more responsibility for their actions and to realize that every action has both negative and positive consequences. In this way, it is also encouraging them to have the responsibility to play shit about themselves and their well-being and that they become more aware of the consequences that drug use can bring.
Keep them informed about drugs
This is a subject that apart from being played at school, it also has to be done at home since lack of information can become a risk factor to promote addiction. To do this, you have to find the most propitious moments in which everything related to the subject is explained to them as well as the consequences that drug use can bring. It can be used, for example, when the topic of addictions appears on a television program, when you are watching a series with that theme, a news item, etc.
Do family activities
Doing activities as a family is extremely important as it helps strengthen ties among all the members so it favors a more calm and safe family environment. It must be taken into account that in adolescence, most young people prefer to carry out activities with their friends rather than with their family, however, it can be achieved by choosing activities that are pleasant to them and always getting them used to participating in them.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to Prevent Drug Addiction in Teens, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotional and behavioral disorders.
