Children and teenagers are often faced with many social pressures as they grow into young adults. These pressures can make them want to fit in with the crowd and be accepted by their peers, and even though most parents try to instill the values of being an individual, many adolescents still tend to go with the grain in terms of peer pressure.
One of the most frightening aspects of being a parent can be the overall fear of your child engaging in drug abuse. As street drugs and prescription drugs infiltrate schools, locker rooms and malls across America, the fear begins to become very real that drug abuse can hit closer to home than you might think.
If you suspect that your child is abusing drugs, or even experimenting with them, there are ways in which you can attempt to find out the truth. While communication is often the first method attempted in this situation, it often fails as teenagers and children are unwilling to talk about subjects like this with their parents and can quickly become defensive. Therefore, if you are a parent who is concerned that your child is using and you are unable to get through to them, you can perform drug tests that will better help answer your suspicions.
How to Test Your Child
Purchasing a drug testing kit is often the best way for you to find out if your child is using. You can purchase this kit at your local pharmacy, which will help you determine if your child is using common drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and narcotics. You will need to inform your child that you are conducting this test, as they will need to urinate in the cup provided in the kit. It is important that through this process, that you monitor your child so he or she does not tamper with the kit. After your child has urinated in the cup, you can simply dip the testing kit into the cup to reveal the results of the test within minutes. Wondering how accurate are at home drug test? Click the link to learn the best practices when determining at home testing accuracy.
The use of home testing kits is often the most common way to test your child for drug use, and is also the most recommended as well. Not only will you be getting the results you need to help your child, but you are also involving them in the process rather than risking their trust by attempting to test them without their knowledge. This kind of testing promotes good communication and honesty, both of which are incredibly valuable, especially if your child is using and is going to require treatment.
How You Can Prevent Drug Abuse
It is important that you understand that your child will be tempted and pressured into possibly experimenting with drugs during their young life. Therefore, it is your responsibility to keep them educated on what drugs are out there, what they can do to them and how the effects of drug abuse can impact more people than just themselves. By providing them with ways to say “no” to drugs, you can help them better navigate how to stay drug-free.
