According to the most recent statistics, at least 49% of American high school seniors have at least tried an illicit drug. The most common drugs that are abused by teens include marijuana, meth, cocaine, and Oxycontin. A rise in the abuse of prescription medications has shown that children in America are more likely to become addicted to medications provided by a doctor than illegal drugs due to ease of access. Parents who have a child that is addicted to drugs or alcohol read through the 5 coping strategies for parents dealing with teen addiction.
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Don’t Become Their Enabler
Do not become your child’s enabler, and don’t give into their addiction. There are two extreme parallels when it comes to how parents cope with a child with a drug or alcohol addiction. To one extreme there are parents who are strictly against the use of alcohol or controlled substances, and then there are the enablers.
Dealing with a teen who is an addict is hard for everyone, but parents who are at one extreme or the other often lose sight of the big picture. The stricter parent runs the risk of their child hiding their addiction, never getting the help they need, and proceeding to become so much worse out of fear of disappointing the parent. On the other hand, an enabler is basically signing their own child’s death warrant by failing the child and condoning the behavior.
Too often parents place higher than necessary expectations onto their children and, when the child fails to achieve the goals the parents set for them, that child finds a new way to cope. In some cases, drugs or alcohol become their coping mechanism.
Parents who take on the attitude that kids are going to do what they want and fail to provide any type of discipline become enablers. Instead of teaching their children that the substances could ultimately kill the child, the parent separates themselves from the child and become a part of the problem. They either turn a blind eye and allow the child to use drugs or alcohol or they help the child obtain the substance that is fueling the addiction.
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Offer Unconditional Love
A serious problem for some parents is that they don’t understand the concept of unconditional love. Conditional love is a major contributing factor that leads to drug and alcohol addiction for teens. The feeling that their parents only love them when they are behaving well, achieving high scholastic marks, or obeying as expected hinders a child’s ability to understand healthy love. When love comes with conditions, it isn’t loved, and it creates an unhealthy environment for the child. Ultimately, the child takes on the attitude that no matter what they do, they will never be good enough to their parents, and they will never receive the approval they so desperately want from their parents.
Unconditional love means the parents love their child regardless of whether the child is perfect. The parents accept that their child is a child, and the child doesn’t feel as though the parent’s love is taken away if they aren’t the picture of perfection. Ultimately, a healthy environment is created, and the child feels more driven to achieve personal goals without the fear of disappointing their parents and no longer feeling love.
It is vital for all parents to love their children unconditionally, especially when facing addiction. The child will need a dedicated support system when leaving a rehabilitation centre. Parents that express their love for their child without conditions get better results, and the child has a greater chance of recovery and surviving their addiction. Parents who want to find information about coping strategies find more at Arc Addiction Recovery Centre.
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Take Care of Yourself
The parents of children with addiction too often try to absorb their child’s problems and take over the child’s life in an attempt to force recovery. The strategy doesn’t work and, as a result, the parents become unhealthy because they aren’t practicing self-care. Parents must take care of themselves and allow their children to complete the steps of recovery for themselves.
Remaining healthy is part of the battle, and parents must ensure that they are healthy and ready for this challenge. However, when it comes to addiction, the child must realize on their own that they have an addiction and that they need help. If the child doesn’t have this epiphany on their own, they are simply trying to appease their parents. Ultimately, the child will return to their addiction later in their life if not immediately following their treatment.
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Listen to Your Child
Listening to your child is vital to their recovery. During a recovery program, counselors help the patient uncover the origin of their addiction. For some, the origin is stress or trauma. Family therapy is provided to help the child express their feelings to their parents about their addiction. If a parent is the source of the problem, therapy can help the child and the parent find a better way of coexisting and managing issues.
Too often, parents become offended when they discover they are the source of the problem and tempers flare. The parents refuse to listen to the child to explain their side of things. It is necessary for the parents to accept the child’s point of view and learn a way to help their child instead of feeding their ego.
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Practice Calming Exercises
Meditation, yoga, and other practices offer a calming effect for parents and help them lower their stress levels. Too often, parents succumb to the stress of coping with a child with addiction and create a hostile environment. Managing stress and staying calmer increases the rate of a successful recovery.
Parents of addicted teens must discover better-coping skills during the process to prevent more issues moving forward. Parents frequently try to resolve the child’s addiction for the child or become enablers. Unconditional love, a realistic support system, and a desire to quit are exactly what the teen needs the most.
