How to Deal With a Drug Addict Son or Daughter in College
There are many pressures college girls go through during their late teens and early twenties. College can be such a fun time and an exciting new chapter of experiences. Pressures can come along with this chapter and finding new friends and support are often a top priority. Fitting in and feeling accepted is a huge desire, and sometimes girls can find themselves doing things they may not initiate due to newfound friends and peer pressure. One example is drinking and using drugs.
College parties, as well as fraternity and sorority houses, are notorious for having parties that emphasize the use of alcohol and drugs. Using substances to feel more comfortable socially is not uncommon. While many people may dabble in this new experience in college and move on without incident, for others this can become a real problem.
How Do You Know If Your Child Is Using Drugs?
When your children are away at college, you may not know what they’re doing. They’ll likely be exposed to drugs and alcohol, and you may have to rely on your own observations to determine if they’re using these substances or not.
Here are some ways to tell if your college-aged kids are using drugs:
– Look for the common signs of drug use in your children, like mood swings, social withdrawal, and secretive behavior.
– Possessing drugs is an obvious sign your son or daughter is using drugs. Marijuana has a distinctive smell, and you can use the internet to learn what various types of illicit pills look like.
– Watch out for blood-shot eyes and other physical signs of drug use
– Look for tin boxes or burnt spoons in the house. You can take a sniff in the tin boxes to find out whether it smells of tobacco or something else.
– A potential sign of drug abuse can be abandoning social activities.
– Observe moments of extreme anxiety or irritability, especially early in the day
Signs of Alcoholism in College Students
Alcoholism is yet another common issue among teenagers and college students. The common signs of alcoholism in college are as follows:
– Irresponsible behavior
– Experiencing legal issues often due to misuse
– Tolerance against a large quantity of alcohol
– Withdrawal from engaging life
How to Deal With a Drug-Addicted Son or Daughter in College
If you sense something unusual is happening and your kids are denying it, it’s time to check in with them a little more. You can violate the privacy rules to intervene into the academic records of your kids while showing them your concern.
Talk to your child about his or her well-being and try to peek into their present life, concerns, and so on. Rather than abandoning them, make them feel loved and motivate them to engage in constructive outlets.
What to Do If Your Child Is an Addict
Parents often ask questions about what to do if their child is an addict or if their daughter drinks too much alcohol, but they rarely try to fit into their shoes. Obviously, we’re extremely busy with our professional lives and responsibilities, but it’s still equally as important to be careful about your children who might be facing adverse situations.
If you’ve discovered your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol, consider this advice:
– Strengthen the relationship with your children through open and convincing communication.
– Instead of focusing on their mistakes and poor decisions, try to encourage the positive behavior of your children.
– Create and reinforce consistent guidelines regarding acceptable and unacceptable behaviors.
– Set clear boundaries for yourself reflecting what you should and shouldn’t do for your child. Addicts are notoriously efficient in testing the boundaries of their close ones through manipulation.
– Practice self-care as an act of making your needs a priority. Your stress grows toward a point of burnout while you take intense care of your children through a prolonged period of turmoil. This increasing stress can take a toll on your physical and mental health conditions resulting in anxiety, depression, concentration problems, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and so forth.
To help you with such a situation, Tranquil Shores offers counseling sessions for parents of drug addicts. We take special care to inform you about the steps you need to take to treat your addicted children. The trained and experienced staffs of Tranquil Shores provide emotional support in two ways: During your recovery process, so that you can reach sobriety; and after your recovery, so that you can stay sober.
You are likely to learn methods that have proven successful in surviving the grief and pain, in therapy sessions during treatment. Afterward, through the Alumni Group, meeting with other Tranquil Shores “graduates,” you’ll receive encouragement in staying sober, and offer encouragement in return.
Your losses have happened. Some can’t be recovered. But some can. Tranquil Shores will help you recover one of your most important values-your ability to think clearly, to cope successfully with life, to earn back your self-respect and the respect of others. In short the way to reclaim your life.
If you are in a situation like this, get help and stop the suffering. You can recover and reclaim your life.
Call Tranquil Shores today at (727) 391-7001!
