Summertime is Prime Time for Teenage Substance Abuse
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School is out. Responsibilities are minimal. The energy in the year is potent with teenage experimentation. Summertime is a prime time for teenage substance abuse, risk-taking, and other thrill-seeking behaviors. If you have been considering sending your teen to treatment for their drug and alcohol addiction, summer is a smart time to do it. Many parents believe that they will have better control over their teenagers once they are home for the summer. Getting a job, having household responsibilities, and being under the more careful watch of a parent could be the answer to reversing the drug and alcohol problems they developed during the school year spending time with friends at school.
The New York Times
cites that Studies show that during the summer months adolescents are most likely to experiment with first-time use of alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes. Though your teen may be seasoned in their substance abuse, they are more likely to spend time with friends and use during the summer, influencing others to use for the first time. Summertime substance abuse tendencies have more of a widespread effect than just the mental health of your teens. The article explains For car crashes, the perennial leading cause of death among teenagers, June, July and August hold the grim honor of being the three consecutive months with the most adolescent traffic fatalities. Substance abuse and experimentation causes a compromise in a teenager's developing cognitive functions. Judgments are impaired like depth perception, timing and coordination.
Preventing Summer Substance Abuse
Even adult long time recovering alcoholics know that there is no escaping the temptation to drink or use alcohol, even in the most remote areas of the world. Trying to completely isolate your teen from the presence of drugs and alcohol will not likely be an effective method. However, there are ways to prevent summer substance abuse from starting or worsening an already present problem.- Talk to your kids about the dangers of experimenting with drugs and alcohol
- Set up safe driving codes for texting and explain how fatal drunk driving can be, as the driver and a passenger
- Ask your kids what kind of drinking and drugs their peers are doing and if they've been asked or tried
- If you suspect your teen already has a substance use problem, it is critical to intervene in the earliest stages possible. Through an intervention or seeing a doctor, it is essential to make sure your teen gets the treatment they need as soon as possible.
- Don't write off teenage antics as permissible and a sign of their maturity. Substance abuse in teenagerhood can have long lasting effects on mental health.
Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center is the premiere residential treatment program for adolescents and teenagers. Settled in beautiful Mississippi, our stunning property offers the privacy and separation teens need to heal. Daily outdoor activities on our lake and property offer teens unforgettable experiences while our proven clinical programs help them with the life cleansing as well as foundation building they need for lifelong recovery. For more information, call 662-598-4214.
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