Helping teenagers overcome addictions to drugs or alcohol can involve multiple steps, but by far the most important is just getting started.
It can be difficult for many parents to overcome the perception of stigma attached to their kids using drugs. However, for the sake of your children, it’s necessary to do something. We know it’s not easy. It takes a courageous parent to seek the necessary help.
That you are reading this post is an important step. Here’s what else you might do to help your teenager beat a drug addiction:
- Talk to your doctor. After you explain the situation, the doctor can recommend drug testing and screening for related health issues. With that information in hand, the doctor should be able to recommend specialists who can take a more focused look at treatment.
- Contact an addiction specialist. The American Society of Addiction Medicine maintains a nationwide directory of physicians who can assist with addiction treatment, including several doctors in the Bellingham/Whatcom County area. In addition, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry website contains a tool to help parents locate psychiatrists who may be able to provide valuable addiction treatment and therapy.
- Conduct your own research. In addition to containing a directory of helpful doctors, the American Society of Addiction Medicine website contains a page full of resources for parents and teens looking to learn more about addiction and treatment. Also, this page for parents, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, offers tons of excellent information and advice on drug treatment. There’s even a version of this page for teens and young adults.
- Reach out to a drug testing company. Bostec can conduct in-office drug tests for families who live in the Lynden, Bellingham or Whatcom County area. Teens can come to our Lynden office to have trained staff facilitate fast and accurate drug screening tests — with results shared immediately, in most cases, with a printed report sent home for review. For teens not in the Whatcom County area, Bostec has home-use tests available in our online store that can be shipped right to your door. Determining the results of your teenager’s drug test can enable you to take the necessary steps to seek help — or even rule out that your teen is using drugs at all.
For more information on how drug testing — whether at home or in the office — can be of service in helping your teen kick a drug habit, give Bostec a call at 360-354-3325 or reach out via our website: https://www.bostec.com/contact-bostec/.