Ways to help your child cope with substance abuse

 

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All parents have big dreams for their kids, but dreaming of only the best for them can overlook some nightmares that quickly become a reality. No parent wants to imagine their child becoming addicted to drugs, but it can be challenging to keep track of what's going on in your child's life in today's fast-paced world.

Helicopter parenting is no longer an option, as it's essential to give your children ample breathing room. However, there's a fine line to tread upon here, and even the smallest foresight can cost you heavily.

Drugs are increasingly a part of our children's lives, and kids as young as those in middle school can have easy access to them. Furthermore, there is a much greater variety of drugs available designed to appeal to adolescents. If you feel your child has an addiction, you'll want to turn their life around as soon as possible. Below, we'll list some of the most helpful ways to help your child cope with substance abuse.

Seek professional help

Parents can quickly find themselves overwhelmed when dealing with a child with an addiction. It can be hard to keep track of every minute of your child's life. Forcing them to cut back can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms, which can cause immense irritability, anxiety, depression, headaches, nausea, and other symptoms. The detox period can be excruciating for the parents. They can struggle to watch their child go through such a painful, stressful time. Instead, seeking help can be the best option.

A rehab center is perfectly equipped to deal with all the nastiness of drug use and withdrawal. In children, it can be much more challenging to deal with withdrawal symptoms than adults. To ensure that your child has the most vital chance at recovery, you need to ensure you work with the best professionals in the field. By working with the Delphi Behavioral Health Group, you can let your child stay in a non-judgmental environment, perfectly equipped to handle their condition. 

Work on your bond

There are several reasons why your child might fall prey to drugs, and an essential one is a weak parental bond. If your child feels alienated or neglected, they're likelier to turn to drugs as a way to cope. Whether you abuse drugs is then immaterial – your child has a significantly higher risk of falling prey to addiction. However, even if your child has started using, it's never too late to remedy your mistakes. Working on your bond can help your child have a much better chance of recovery and keep future incidents away.

Open communication is vital when working on developing and strengthening your bond. While you need to maintain a level of assertiveness, you also need to be non-judgmental and listen to your child. It's essential to ask your child why they started using, how they felt when they use, and what would make them want to quit. With such questions, you can identify the most powerful triggers in the environment that push them to use and modify your behavior. Furthermore, they can help your child know that you're there for them and reduce the chances of relapse.

Create clear guidelines

Sometimes, in trying to give their kids a chance to be themselves, some parents end up giving their kids too much leeway. Children need a clear set of guidelines and values to structure their life around, or they might end up dabbling in things better left untouched. Furthermore, when recovering from drug addiction, these rules and values are even more critical.

You need your child to know exactly what is acceptable and what isn't by giving them a clear picture of what will happen if they don't follow the rules. It would help if you were incredibly consistent when enforcing these rules. Otherwise, they'll feel like they can get away with bad behavior. Additionally, these guidelines will force them to stay away from using, and with time they'll help curb the addiction.

Boost positivity

When dealing with a child with a drug problem, there can often be too much negativity in the family. It can be easy to focus too much on the mistakes made and not on the efforts made to be better. This approach can create an incredibly demotivating environment and can cause alienation, guilt, and relapse. You want to focus as much as possible on boosting your child's self-esteem. Make them feel proud of their tiniest accomplishments, and help them see that they're much more than their addiction.

Be there to celebrate the first week, the first month, and the first year of staying sober, and be there to pick them up when they fall. By encouraging positivity, you make it much easier for your child to stay on track. Furthermore, you can encourage them to pursue healthier activities to pass the time so they can beat their cravings. With a bit of collective effort, you can help your child overcome the addiction.

Conclusion

It's hard to understand how or when your child fell prey to substance abuse. However, once you grasp the reality of the situation, you need to take all the necessary steps to help them emerge. Adolescence can be a pretty emotional time, and even more so for kids struggling with substance abuse. Following these steps can help you support their child and help them turn their life around.