For good or ill, younger people are more likely to use drugs than older people. While this due partly to adults being less likely to engage in risky behaviors, it does not imply that teens are the only people who will develop substance abuse problems. They are just more likely to be highlighted by the news reports.

Teen Substance abuse is not likely to go away. The teenage years are a time of rebellion and experimentation. Authority is to be questioned simply because it is authority, and not every teen who tries a drug will develop a drug addiction or develop a substance abuse problem. A few will decide that drugs are not for them and move on. Some teens who experiment with drugs will outgrow this phase and move onto more responsible behavior. (Has there been any presidential candidate in the last 20 years who has not tried marijuana or some other drug? It does not seem like it.)

There are many sites that will tell you about warning signs that your teen may need addiction treatment, but many of these “warning signs” also happen to coincide with changes that normally happen to the human species during puberty. If a parent has a reason to be suspicious, drug testing kits can let a parent know whether or not his child has been using drugs.

The anti-drug commercials may seem trite, but when children know that they can trust their parents on big issues, they are more likely to talk to them about drugs or where they are at. Some secrecy is normal and the trick is finding a balance and building the relationship of trust so that if your teen does develop a substance abuse problem or starts using drugs, the parent can talk to the child without having to resort to methods that show trust has been betrayed.

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