How to Know if Your Teen is Smoking Weed
Do you fear your teen has been smoking weed and has developed a teen marijuana addiction? Have you been researching where to go for teen marijuana treatment in Los Angeles? If yes, then you have come to the right page. While some teens consider it cool to smoke weed, the debilitating health risks are not worth the coolness factor. As a parent, you should know the signs of marijuana use in teens and the best way to approach the problem with your teen. There is professional help available here in Los Angeles, you don’t have to deal with it by yourself. Call us for a free confidential phone call, and speak with one of our experts today.
Signs of Marijuana Abuse in Teens
As a parent, how to know if your teen is smoking weed isn’t clear-cut. You know your child better than anybody else does. You are aware of their likes and dislikes, their habits, and their friendships. When teenagers use marijuana, their disposition may change. Suddenly they are not interested in things that used to bring them joy. They ignore longtime friends in favor of a new group of friends, who they meet in places other than your home. Raising a teenager is hard enough. Adding drug use to the equation makes it even tougher.
1. Behavior:
When your teen smokes weed, you may notice changes in their behavior. There will be periods of depression and periods of elation. Mood swings are already a side effect of puberty, but a teenager on drugs will experience more dramatic mood swings. Angry outbursts might suddenly appear over the smallest things. These angry outbursts might stem from the need for more of the drug, or they might erupt when the teen cannot buy more of the drug.
Every teenager can’t afford to purchase marijuana, so they might turn to the theft of money or valuable items from the home. Changes in routines and self-care might also manifest. Some teens might become more active when they are high on weed, while others sleep more often or show signs of lethargy.
2. Physical Changes:
Red, glassy eyes and dry, cracked lips are easy-to-spot indicators of marijuana use in teenagers. Weight changes can also occur. The drug causes an increase in appetite in some people, while others completely lose their appetite. If a teen suddenly won’t eat food that has been their lifetime favorite, you might need to ask some questions. Other physical changes relate to self-care. Showering less often, forgetting to apply antiperspirant, and wearing soiled clothing may indicate drug use. The desire to remain high overtakes the innate desire to care for oneself.
3. Change of Activities:
Teenagers go through drastic mental and physical changes during puberty, but most continue to be the same person they have always been. If your teenager suddenly loses interest in an extra-curricular activity that they have enjoyed previously, take notice. Social changes may also occur. Teens using marijuana may prefer to stay home alone, locked up in their room rather than participating in social activities with friends and family. They do not want to interact with the outside world and are withdrawn from school, family, and friends. Students may suddenly bring home lower grades and care less about assignments and projects.
4. Suicidal:
Some teenagers become self-destructive when they cannot get the drugs they need to maintain the alternative lifestyle they have adopted. Desperation and withdrawal symptoms might push the teen to feel like the world would be better off without them. Confusion over knowing drugs are wrong and needing them for daily survival can push a teen over the edge. Suicidal thoughts and attempts can occur.
How to Help a Teenager Who Smokes Weed
The above changes in your teen can help you understand if they are smoking weed. After learning how to know if your teen is smoking weed, and in fact, confirming that “my teen is smoking marijuana”, just be the best parent you can be. Do not attack them, offer love and support, listen to their thoughts, concerns, and seek professional help like teen marijuana treatment or different types of troubled teen programs.
Companionship
Most teenagers with weed smoking habits prefer to stay alone, and part of proper adolescent marijuana addiction treatment means you cannot let them remain alone as responsible parents. Plan fun family activities. Invite their friends over for pizza and a movie. Go to a mall or a ball game. Partake in the activities you know your child likes best. Key Companioning can get them out of the house and back to enjoying life.
Seek a Professional Mentor
Key Healthcare will match your teen with a teen mentor who has similar interests. This mentor can visit your teen in your home or meet with the teen in a public setting. The purpose of the mentor is to give the teen somebody to trust and talk to. The Key Healthcare mentors are trained specifically to work with teens who have mental health, behavioral issues and are undergoing teen addiction treatment or teen marijuana treatment.
1. Mental Support
Most teenagers who decide to smoke weed at such early ages often go through various mental issues like loneliness, extreme mood swings, depression, and even bipolar syndrome. In such cases, the first thing which the teenager requires is proper mental support. Consult with facilities that deal with mental illnesses leading to drug addiction. The professionals can get to the root of the problem and talk to the teen regarding their fears and concerns.
2. Therapy
One of the most effective ways of dealing with teenagers who smoke marijuana is by participating in a proper therapy program. Therapy plans might include individual counseling, family therapy, and detox programs. These therapies can help patients by enhancing their self-confidence, giving them hope for a better life, and prioritizing their life over drugs. Therapies can help heal damaged relationships and return teens to their former, happy selves.
Several adolescent marijuana addiction treatment programs are available in the Los Angeles area to help teenagers get over their dependency issues. Key Healthcare offers a safe and effective teen marijuana rehab, and Teen IOP that help teens get past their addictions and focus on inner growth. The process of changing this habit might not happen overnight, but getting them the proper help and support is the best thing you can do. For more help, contact Key Healthcare.
