September 4, 2019 - Raising World Children

Drop the Dependence: How to Help Your Teen Get Over Their Addiction

We’re currently in the midst of an addiction epidemic in the United States, and unfortunately, many young people are beginning to abuse substances at a younger age than ever before. It wasn’t long ago when the worst substances parents had to worry about their teens using were alcohol or marijuana. Today, more and more young people are experimenting with harder drugs as well as addictive prescription medications, but the good news is that there are ways to help your teen get over their addiction.

Catch the Addiction Early

Addiction is a progressive illness, and this is why those who have had an addiction for years can often struggle to maintain their sobriety. As a parent, the first thing you need to do is learn the signs of addiction in teens. These include changes in your child’s behavior, interests, attitude, and social circle. It can be troubling to learn your child has an addiction, but it’s not the end of the world. Since your teen is early on in their substance abuse, they have a less severe form of addiction, and this means they have an extremely high chance of recovery and living the life that they deserve. It may be easy to turn to anger and blame your teen or yourself for the addiction. However, that anger is unhelpful. The best thing you can do for your child is to intervene as early as possible and get your child professional help. Getting your child professional help will give them the opportunity to discover why they’ve been turning to drugs or alcohol in the first place and how they can manage life in a much healthier way.

Understand Addiction

For some parents, getting help for their son or daughter can be extremely difficult because of the misconceptions about addiction. Some parents believe that by getting their child help for an addiction they’re admitting that they somehow failed as a parent. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s important to understand that addiction is a powerful disease, and there are a wide range of factors that can lead a person to abuse substances.

Get Your Teen Professional Help

If your child was struggling with a physical illness, you would get them help from a professional, and it’s just the same as when they’re struggling with an addiction. By getting your child professional help, you are doing all you can to help your child move past this struggle into a brighter future. Addiction counseling for teens allows your child to work with a trained professional who specializes in working with young people who struggle with addiction. Many young people feel far more comfortable opening up to an addiction counselor rather than their parents. Over time, as they continue to recover, you’ll be able to be much more involved, and your whole family will begin to heal.

Work with Your Whole Family

As addiction has far reaching affects, you should strive to learn more about how it affects your child as well as the rest of your family, so that you will be better able to help your teen at home. Reassure all your children of your love and support and work with them so that they know that they can come to you when they are struggling. You may want to consider seeking out family counseling services at least for a while to keep your family solid and able to work together.

While your child is learning how to manage their life in a new way and build better relationships with you and your family as well as themselves, you’ll also learn more about how you can support your child in their recovery to create a brighter future.

Grab Our Book Strong Roots Have No Fear

Help Your Child Build Confidence & Global Awareness

<br />

How to Recognize and Treat Addiction in Your Teens

An addiction is an incredibly complicated disease that can bring your child’s life to a grinding halt. That is why you must always keep an eye out for the early warning signs of addiction and seek out help right away if you believe that your teenager is struggling with this disease.

Social Isolation

One of the most common signs of teenage substance abuse is social isolation. As the addiction becomes stronger, you might notice that your child no longer wants to spend time with their family or go out with friends. An addiction can also make you lose interest in activities that you once loved. Over the course of a few months, abusing those substances could become the most important thing in their life, and you need to reach out if you want them to avoid long-term problems.

Aggressive or Combative Behavior

You are sure to get into at least a few arguments with your teenager over the years, but your relationship with one another should be mostly positive. If they are struggling with an addiction, then all of your interactions could become hostile or confrontational. There may even come a point when they act aggressively if you even bring up the idea that they might have a problem. While beating an addiction is never going to be easy, professional rehab services are more effective than ever.

Get Them Counseling

Once you have confirmed that your child is struggling with an addiction, you need to contact an organization such as Lifeline right away. Getting your child counseling is going to be vital to their recovery, and you want to find a program that was specifically designed for teenagers. In addition to one-on-one counseling, your child might also benefit from group therapy, family therapy, and short-term inpatient services.

Support Them Along the Way

One of the best things that you can do for your teenager is support them as much as possible during their recovery. Overcoming an addiction is a long-term process, and your child is going to need support from those they love the most. You should also make sure that your child is surrounded by positive and healthy people who are going to give them good examples to follow.

After discovering that your child is struggling with an addiction, you are going to experience a wide range of emotions. While it might be tempting to lash out or argue, it is important to remember that your teen needs support and love if they are going to overcome this disease and move on with their life.

HELP YOUR CHILD BUILD CONFIDENCE AND A GLOBAL MINDSET EARLY.

<br />

Canva - Facade of old imposing medieval fortress

Top 10 Fun Loving Places for Kids in India

India is a place of varied landscape and with the diversity in landscape comes the unmatched scenic beauty associated with the country. From the lofty Himalayas in the North to the deserts in the west to the coastal cities throughout the countries to the hill stations on the Western Ghats, the country has everything which you look for in a tourist destination.

However, when it comes to choosing a tourist destination in India to go with kids, it becomes a head ache for most of the parents. Most of the beautiful places you want to visit with them come with an added problem of tough travelling schedules. Here we bring you a list of places from within the countries which can act as great tourist destination as well as learning experience for the kids.

Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir

Dal lake, Photo by confused_me, CC0 1.0

Often referred to as ‘Heaven on the Earth’, the lofty Himalayas present their majestic view in the state. The northernmost part of India is full of exotic places which can be enjoyed with the kids and will also give them a testimony of how beautiful the nature is. The kids will get to learn about the lifestyle of Kashmiri people, how they work hard to earn their living and their love for motherland. Overall, it will be a memorable experience for your child.

Darjeeling, West Bengal

Himalayan toy train, Photo by donvikro, CC0 1.0

On the Eastern-most part of the great Himalayan Range is situated the beautiful hill-station Darjeeling. Located in Northern-most part of the West Bengal, the ease with which you can travel to this place is commendable. Add to that the scenic beauty, the vast stretch of tea-gardens, the opportunity to watch the glowing Himalayas and majestic sunrise and your child will never say no to this trip. There is added bonus of the memorable Toy Train journey.

Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Ski center, Photo by punit-sharma, CC0 1.0

The snow-clad mountains and amazing scenes of greenery will welcome your child when you take him to Manali in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh. they will get the chance to look at nature in a completely different way from what they see living in metro cities. They can enjoy snow scooter, mountain biking, skiing and many such sports which they have seen in television till now. The experience will remain etched in their memory for very long time.

Rann of Kutch, Gujrat

Ran Utsav, Photo by rannutsavonline, CC0 1.0

The wide stretch of desert is a must-go place in Gujrat. The varied art and culture, the camel rides, the local music and dance will tempt you to visit this place with your child. Our geography books make great attempts to describe the cultural diversity of our country, so why not give your child a lively example of the same? The child will love this trip and will have a lot to share with his friends about the trip.

Gaya, Bihar

Mahabodhi temple, Photo by Matt Stabile, CC BY 2.0

The land which gave India its first President is not often looked as an Ideal place to take your child. However, the historic importance of Gaya is such that you will be tempted to take your child for a trip to the place. This place was once the center of power for rulers like Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka and has witnessed rise and fall of many great Kingdoms. It is also the place where Buddha was enlightened and that makes it a religious destination of Buddhists. You would definitely want your child to see the great tree under which Siddhartha became Lord Buddha.

Puri, Orissa

Jagannath Temple, Photo by BOMBMAN, CC BY 2.0

Although the city is most famous for the Jagannath Temple, it is a coastal city which boasts of some of the cleanest beaches in India. Don’t worry if you are not a Hindu, you can tell your child about the architectural beauty of different temples and monuments you visit in the city. Overall, your child will have many memorable memories if you take him on a trip to Puri.

Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Ellora caves, kailashnath temple, Photo by Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0

The land of Ajanta and Ellora caves, Aurangabad is a good place to give your child a realistic view of what he has studied in his history books so far. The place with some great monuments like Bibi ka Maqbara and arguably the greatest piece of Indian architecture, Ajanta and Ellora caves, will leave your child in awe. You can go to see the Kham River to cap-off your trip. Your child will have great memories of the trip and that makes it a must visit place for him.

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Puppets, Photo by Jason Rufus, CC BY 2.0

The Land of Royalty, the land of Kings and the land of rich cultural heritage, Jaisalmer is one of the most visited tourist destinations in India. The Camel Rides and the Heritage hotels accompanied with soothing folk music is more than enough to make a place in your child’s mind. You can see some of the old forts and again, you can teach him some of his history lessons in most practical way. This makes the place a must visits for kids.

Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

Ramar padham, Photo by Arun, CC BY 2.0

The centre of religion and abode to one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the religious place earns a place in this list because of its historical importance. With all the parts of the city related to the stories of Ramayana, your child may learn a lot about his religion and his inclination can be increased towards religiousness (if you want it to be). Add to it the beautiful beaches without any nudity and perfect for family time and Rameshwaram makes a perfect place to go on a tour with your child.

Andaman Islands

Cellular jail, Photo by Ankur P, CC BY-SA 2.0

A place for kids, young guns and old people, Andaman is evergreen place for the evergreen people. From being the island of ‘Kaala Paani’ to being one of the most visited tourist destinations in India, the place has seen it all. You can take your child to cellular jail and tell him the stories of freedom fighters and how hard they worked to win the freedom that we are enjoying today. There can also be a lot of adventure activities and the child will get a good read of nature’s wonder. So, it’s a great place to take your child to.

Author’s Bio:

A traveler with great knack for visiting places of historical and religious importance, Rohit likes to compile various lists from the places he has visited. You can find his lists on Trans India Travel.