Make Sure You’re Talking to Teens about Drugs

For some inexplicable reason, we are always looking at drug addiction, wondering why we can’t solve these problems. There’s plenty of information about the dangers of addiction out in the public domain. The problem is people just refuse to read what’s available. Knowing that approach doesn’t work, we should consider a strategy that has shown some success. We need to do a much better job about talking to teens about drugs.

Talking to Teens About Drugs

Let’s get right to the point. Without a doubt, the primary responsibility for talking to teens about drugs belongs to parents. Of course, that creates some issues. First, parents don’t always have up-to-date information about the latest drugs running on the streets. Further creating problems is the fact that parents and kids sometimes don’t communicate well.

When parents fall short, the next line of defense comes from educators. In reality, school is a great place to try to alert teens about drugs. After all, teachers already have the credentials to teach. Like it or not, drug education should be a regular part of the educational process. We have to ask ourselves, “how many kids have to die from an overdose before we start talking to teens about drugs seriously?”

What to Teach Teens

Teens are much sharper than we might expect. Through experimentation, they know more about adult topics than most of us would like. When discussing drugs, we need to focus on what really matters.

First, teens need to learn to value their lives. If they understand how valuable they really are, they might hold off on taking unnecessary risks. We should also make sure the risks we speak of include the ultimate threat, death by overdose. There’s no need to soft-step this issue. It’s a reality the stats support.

Another thing kids need to learn is how addiction could affect their future. The possibility of getting caught up in illegal activities that can ruin lives should be high on the list. Teens also need to know about the possible long-term health effects of drug abuse. We can’t afford to mince words or avoid the truth.

Teen Addiction Treatment at Beaches Recovery

Our Jacksonville facility provides a great list of elite addiction treatment services. Among them are elite drug rehab programs for teens in Jacksonville FL. In response to the information included above, we do focus on drug education with kids. Our other services include:

• Detox programs at Tides Edge Detox
• Family therapy for teens and parents
• Young adult rehab programs
• Aftercare services
• Experiential therapy activities with peers

After talking to teens about drugs, we must be willing to offer help for addiction. If you suspect your teen might need help, you can call us at Beaches Recovery, 866.605.0532. If we work together, there’s a great chance we can help your teen get back on the right track in life before it’s too late.