Substance abuse is rampant in the United States and as a child counselor in Arlington, TX, I have worked with a number of young people who abuse or are addicted to alcohol or drugs. Though children and teens don’t have the problem of substance abuse costing them their jobs or marriages, they are at risk for serious legal problems, health problems, cognitive problems, ruined relationships and even death.
Why Children Abuse Drugs And Alcohol
Children and adolescents often abuse drugs and alcohol for the same reasons that adults do; they use mood-altering substances to self-medicate because they feel isolated, depressed or anxious. These feelings can arise from any number of things including physical, psychological or sexual abuse. For children, though, there is the added pressure of wanting and needing to fit in with their peers; and often, fitting in means adopting bad behaviors like drinking too much, smoking pot or taking other drugs.
What Parents Can Do To Prevent Drug And Alcohol Abuse
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Parents who abuse alcohol and drugs, even prescription drugs, are going to have a harder time convincing their children that it’s wrong than parents who don’t abuse drugs or alcohol. The second thing parents can do is to keep lines of communication open between themselves and their children. As a child counselor in Arlington, TX, I know how effective talking can be. Parents who talk openly and frankly to their children about all of the dangers they’re likely to encounter in their lives, and how deal with them, will have healthier relationships with their children, and, subsequently, healthier children who won’t have to seek solace in a bottle of liquor or a bottle of