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90% of people with substance abuse problems began before age 18 (Center on Addiction).
This fact demonstrates that there are things young people don’t understand—but need to learn—about addiction. This is immensely important, because what teenagers don’t know can hurt them.
And, tragically, what they don’t know can kill them.
What Teenagers Don’t Know Can Hurt Them
Sometimes, parents need to pick their battles.
It’s not healthy to micro-manage teenagers, and some areas are okay to compromise. But there are a few issues so critical that parents have to take a stand. But which battles should they pick?
At the top of the list must be protecting their kids from addiction, because this is the area that can:
- Pose physical danger to their kids, and sometimes to others in the family.
- Lead to other negative consequences that could drastically affect their lives.
- Change how their kids think, leading to bad choices, and alter the chemistry of their brain.
- Be harmful to them emotionally (they don’t learn to handle life well), socially (addiction affects relationships and can lead to isolation), spiritually (they may turn away from God in the process), and personally (by impacting their character and happiness).
If you’re a parent, this is a battle worth engaging in, because you’re fighting it for your son or daughter. It’s more critical than issues such as clothes, tidiness, and the myriad areas where parents expend too much energy and relational equity with their teenagers.
The key is to work with your kids during their critical formative years. In fact, delaying their first use of dangerous substances may be enough to win the battle against addiction! Wonderfully, those same techniques will prepare them to live life effectively as well.
About 90 percent of people who become addicted start drinking or using drugs before the age of 18. As kids mature in their teen years, the likelihood of lifetime addiction drops about 5% for each year the use of substances is delayed (ScienceDirect). For example, a person who waits until age 21 to start drinking has only a 7 percent chance of becoming an alcoholic (Parents Empowered).
Start by talking to them—frequently. If you have to, compromise in other areas, make a deal with them, or offer rewards for the right behavior. Do anything to help them make it through the teenage years safely, because the rest of their lives may depend on it.
Young people are not aware of the dangers, and what teenagers don’t know can hurt them.
What Teenagers Don’t Know About Addiction
Young people, including those who don’t use substances, often think of themselves as “addiction savvy” and can spout the lingo about drugs and alcohol. But there are many things most of them don’t understand about substance abuse. Unless their parents become proactive and teach them! Here are 5 important areas to consider:
1. There’s much yet to learn about how to live a healthy life.
- Simply because they’re young, they have not had the time to develop experience-based wisdom.
- They don’t appreciate that their parents may have input relevant to things they are going through.
- They often don’t have the inclination to utilize the most important source of wisdom available: God.
“Maturity is the fine line between life and experience.” (Sasha Azevedo)
2. They may lack a well-developed sense of self-awareness.
- They don’t always understand why they do the things they do.
- They act selfishly: they may be entitled and impulsive, want to have fun, and can be resentful if they don’t get what they want.
- They may use substances to address deeper issues: they want to fit in at school or with friends, but they’re self-conscious and insecure, and they are often anxious or depressed.
“The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.” (Thales)
3. They don’t have as many positive relationships as they should.
- They don’t pick friends based on character or because they are a good influence.
- Even if they have good friends, they often feel left out and suffer from “FOMO.”
- They normally don’t have any older mentors they meet with on a regular basis.
“We become who we hang out with.” (Napoleon Hill)
4. Even if they’re “drug-savvy,” they don’t understand addiction.
- They don’t realize that teenagers are more prone to addiction than adults.
- They don’t know addiction is a disease that affects the structure of the brain.
- If they experiment with drugs such as heroin, they don’t know what’s in them.
“If I ask kids, ‘Is marijuana harmful?’ not a hand goes up.” (Jodi Gilman)
5. They don’t plan ahead and they underestimate consequences.
- Their brains are not fully developed, so they don’t weigh outcomes or evaluate risks well.
- When they’re under the influence of substances, their decision-making can become horrible.
- They believe they’re bullet proof and don’t think about being arrested, accidents, or overdose.
“It’s sort of unfair to expect teens to have adult levels of organizational skills or decision making before their brains are finished being built.” (Jay Giedd)
Unfortunately, what teenagers don’t know can hurt them.
The good news is that the opposite is true as well: what they DO know can HELP them! Because many of the same things that help protect kids from addiction also lead them toward a happier life—emotionally, socially, spiritually, and personally.
If you’re a parent, it’s critical to understand what teenagers don’t know. And to see that as a call to action.
Because you are the one who can teach them.
Question: Are you willing to devote the time and energy to teach your kids about addiction?
Action: Use the PACES for Parents online learning center to protect your kids from addictions.
