Dealing With Child Drug Abuse, When It’s Not Your Child

It’s a surreal situation. One day your child is playing with their toys and pretending to be a superhero or running their own business. Next thing you know, they are growing up and talking like small adults. And with that comes the brutal reality that they are embracing an adult world. 

This is especially jolting when your child reveals that a friend of theirs has a drug problem. How exactly do you handle that? Kids don’t come with a handbook and all to often parents are left wondering how to help their child handle situations such as these. 

Education Is Key

Okay, so now that you know your child’s friend has a drug problem it’s time to make sure you are up to date on what is going on with drug use and learn more about substance abuse treatment for young adults.

1. Research street names for various drugs. Teens often use their own language to reveal their discretions while still being discreet. It will be useful to know the slang when conversing with your child!
2. Pay attention to the trends.Fortunately, drug use is going down among teens, but knowing the trends can keep you abreast of what is happening in your community. 

Once you feel comfortable with new found knowledge, it’s vital to talk to your child about drug abuse. If you choose to ignore the issue, you will be leaving your child to learn about drugs from peers. And we all remember the misinformation we learned from our peers in high school! The conversation will be awkward and uncomfortable. That’s totally okay. Embrace that and really talk. Avoid lecturing. Kids tune out lecturing in a heart beat. But be firm in your stance on the issue of experimenting and active drug use.

Talk It Out

Since this is your child’s friend, encourage your child to speak openly with their friend about substance abuse treatment for opiate abuse. Yes, their parents should get involved and I highly encourage you to reach out to the parents of said child. But empowering your child to be a source of compassion and encouragement will teach your child so much about themselves and how to really express their love for their friend. 

Do contact the parents! If you are uncomfortable approaching them, call the school and speak with a counselor who can assist in contacting the parents. While we all would like to think we would prefer to hear from a parent about our child’s deeds, sometimes it just feels better to have a school official handle it. They are certainly trained in dealing with such matters. 

Check In With Your Child

Lastly, pay close attention to your child. Sometimes when your child has a friend experimenting or with an addiction problem, your child is participating with the friend. It is important that you show compassion and yet strength. You will be angry and frustrated but yelling at your child will not diffuse the situation. An intervention with a mediator is especially helpful for these sorts of situations. You and your child will both have safe space to speak freely in and the mediator can help assist in keeping the conversation on topic. Additionally, it makes it easier to come up with a concrete plan for treatment. 

Drug abuse is not the end of the world. All children are treatable, they just need a lot of support and strength behind them. You are doing the right thing by empowering your child to be knowledgable about drug use and treatment options.