I had the honor of attending an informational seminar on the topic of teens and drugs which was hosted by the Community of Concern and the Addiction Treatment Center of Johns Hopkins.  Here are some of the highlights that I wanted to share with you about teens, their brains, alcohol, drugs, and addiction.  Any questions?

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We’ve been talking to Stepson about drugs and alcohol (and bullying) since he was seven-years-old.  But there is a big difference in having age-appropriate conversations with an innocent child and having more in-depth conversations with your teen/tween when you are beginning to cut the strings as they enter the world of real life.

The presenter said two profound statements.  “Young brains are wired to learn, and that is why teen addiction is so hard to break.”  It’s so true.  Teen brains are wired to learn permanent behavior – they are wired to be molded.  She also talked about the parts of the brain for impulse and decision making.  Young brains and decision-making skills aren’t fully formed yet and that is why she stated, “Parents – you need to be your kid’s frontal lobe.”

We jokingly call the teenage brain #NoFroLo for no frontal lobe.

A Few Facts to Begin

• The brain is not neurologically an adult until the age of between 20-25.
• Cigarettes can lead to alcohol and drug use.  If you smell smoke, ask questions (which you should be doing anyway if your teen is smoking).
• Alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs are the three most common drugs for teens to be addicted to.
• The potency in THC is much higher today than it was “back in the day.”
• It takes one month for marijuana to leave your system.  Did you know that there’s a kit to test your teen for drugs?
• 60% of kids get drugs or alcohol from a family member or friend.

Talk to Your Kids

I’m not going to touch on the 101 on how to talk to your kids about drugs, but instead, focus on the key points I learned at the seminar.

• Ensure your kids know that they can call you any time to come and help remove them from an unsafe situation.
• Let your kid pick a code word that you share which they can use for an evacuation in an emergency situation.  This is good for several reasons.  If their friends are around, they may not want them to see them texting you to come to pick them up.  A code word will be your secret.  Also, if they are drunk or high, a code word may be easier for them to remember or text.  Remind them of the code word when they leave the house.
• Explain the law to your kid.  Explain the consequences to your kid.

What to Look For

Addiction will lead a teen to impairment, compulsive behavior, cravings, and continued use despite the consequences.  What behaviors should you look for?

• Do they exhibit mood changes?
• Have they lost interest in academics?
• Are they engaged in life?
• Have their friends changed?
• Do they have problems in school?

At this point of the seminar, someone blurted out to the presenter, “You do know what normal teenage behavior looks like, right?”  We all got a much needed chuckle in the middle of a heavy topic.  Yes, many teenagers exhibit some or all of these behaviors under normal circumstances.  What you need to look for are the behavior changes which are out of character or extreme.

Alcohol Poisoning

We’ve all heard the horror stories of high school and college parties where teens are drinking too much and end up dead from alcohol poisoning.  In addition to a teen’s own decision making decisions about drugs and alcohol, they also need to be able to make good decisions when they are in these kinds of situations.  Talk to your kids about what alcohol poisoning is and what it looks like.  If they are at a party and this happens, their natural response is going to be to panic or flee.  Teach your child to step up and regardless of anything else, call 911 to help save their friend’s life.

Are you Inspired?

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Love, hugs, and prepping for more talks.