If you are concerned about your child’s drug use and think that they may be addicted, please call New Life House immediately at 888-357-7577 or email us at [email protected]. We can help you to decide what the best options for you and your family are in order to begin recovery!
It can be difficult as a parent to face the idea of your child being an addict. There are many unanswered questions, sleepless nights, and unknown factors that come along with the disease of addiction. What may not feel so comforting at first, but is extremely helpful in practice, is that you are not alone in this struggle. Addiction during young adulthood is highly common, especially in men over the last 10-20 years, and there are many other families who are fighting the same battle.
What Are the Facts?
Statistics from recent history show that the rate of addiction among young adults, college-age men, in particular, is steadily rising. Marijuana use has climbed steadily since 2014, largely due to changes in legality and social acceptance of the drug itself. Alcohol has been a staple in American culture for a long time, and it is often presented in the media as an essential part of socialization.
Beyond that, study drugs such as Adderall and Vyvanse have become increasingly popular with college students attempting to boost their productivity during crunch time. While the use of cigarettes has dropped, vaping has made a dramatic jump in popularity among young adults recently and is just as addictive as regular cigarettes.
Why Is This Happening?
There may be a few explanations for this, as societal pressures and expectations have shifted drastically in recent years along with a change in the way that our culture views and presents drug use. As younger generations’ world views continue to trend toward futility, the population is becoming more and more split on how they approach life. Some may choose to take the bootstraps approach and work even harder, while others may just give up and say that the work is not worth it.
Both of these viewpoints have their drawbacks, and while some may be more apparent than others, the ones that aren’t so clearly seen can be the most insidious. The stress and pressure to “keep up” in an ever-more competitive world can cause young people to search for unhealthy avenues to relieve that pressure. Others who decide to just give up and drop out of the race altogether can find themselves in some very dark places very quickly.
What Can Be Done About This?
Unfortunately, there is no cut and dry blanket answer to the problems outlined above. As much as it would be ideal to help every single young person in America to avoid addiction altogether, that just isn’t feasible. So how can families help their loved ones to avoid or recover from addiction in a world where it seems increasingly likely for them to get caught up in it?
The easiest answer is to be armed with the facts about drugs, addiction, and recovery. The more that is known about the problems facing the youth of today, the more prepared parents can be to approach addiction in a healthy and effective way if it does show up in their children.
Asking for help when it is needed is essential. Nobody goes through the process of recovery alone, and parents especially need the support of others in order to respond to their child’s addiction. Al-Anon is an amazing resource for help and can provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to struggling families.
If your child is struggling with addiction and you need help deciding what to do next, please call us right away at 888-357-7577 or email us at [email protected]. We can help you get all the information you need to make an informed decision about what is best for your family.
Last Updated on May 24, 2022
