Upon discovering that their child is abusing opiates or other drugs, some parents are in complete shock because they didn't see this coming. For other parents, however, there have been warning signs — and the parents may regret that they didn't monitor their child's behavior more closely. Even if your child is young, you may notice some warning signs that could indicate he or she may gravitate toward developing a drug addiction. Here are some things that should alarm you:
A Tendency To Be Easily Influenced
Children who allow other children to easily influence them may be at a heightened risk of experimenting with drugs. Some children don't really care what other kids are doing, and won't follow the group's behavior if they don't feel that doing so is a good idea. For other children, however, it's easy to follow a group or even another child with the hope of gaining acceptance or popularity. When your child is young, you may see signs that he or she is easily influenced by others, and this could mean that when children begin to experiment with drugs, your child goes along with it.
Other Types Of Addictive Behavior
Sometimes, children with addictive behavior will get hooked on drugs. Whereas some children may smoke marijuana once and decide that they don't like it, a child who has an addictive personality may dive into this type of behavior and allow it to escalate to involve the use of other drugs. There are many warning signs of addictive behavior. For example, your child may often have a singular focus on certain things and forgo any interest in other topics. On its own, this type of behavior doesn't have to be a bad thing, but you should keep an eye on it as the child ages.
A Risk-Taking Nature
Children who are quick to take risks will sometimes gravitate toward drugs to experience the high that they offer. Risk-taking behavior in a child can be evident in several forms. For example, a young child may attempt a stunt that is dangerous and that other children won't try, such as jumping into a lake from a rock face or climbing the highest tree in the neighborhood. As with addictive behavior, risk-taking behavior doesn't guarantee that your child will gravitate toward drugs; ideally, he or she will use this personality trait in a good way. However, if you're constantly noticing that your child is taking risks, you should closely monitor him or her for signs of drug use. If you believe that drugs are present, contact a treatment center for help.
Contact an opiate addiction treatment center for more information and assistance.
Share18 November 2017
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