It is easy for children to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. And if they don’t receive the right help, they can become addicted and carry the habit into adulthood.

Hence, it is best to correct this potential addictive habit when they are young so that they can become sober and lead healthy lives.

You need to know that watching out for your children especially when it comes to substance abuse is one of the ways to ensure that don’t dabble into something that will affect their health in the long run.

Here are some tips to prevent substance abuse in children

Know your children’s friends

It is important to know the friends of your children, especially in school. This will help you know what they are likely to indulge in. It is equally vital to know the families they come from so that you can ascertain your child’s sobriety.

If you discover that the friends of your children have suspicious behavior that you cannot trust, it is best to keep your children away from them.

You can also reach out to the teachers at school to look into the habits of their students.

Watch what your children watch on social media

Sometimes, children pick up habits from social media which gets them to abuse drugs and alcohol. Therefore, make a conscious effort to check what your children feast on anytime they are on social media.

You can also take the extra step to help them understand some things and also explain to them why they should not indulge in everything they see online.

Educate them on the ills of substance abuse

On some occasions, putting fear in the heart of your children might be useful in helping them stay away from abusive substances.

This means you can spell out the dangers of substance abuse and how it affects them, with death being the final consequence.

If you can prove your points with solid evidence, you can be sure that they would reconsider their stance anytime they are faced with the pressure of indulging in substances.

Your children might be struggling with substance abuse and you may not be aware. Children are at a high risk of abusing substances because of peer pressure, society, and social media.

Therefore, you need to pay extra attention to what your children do to know if they are already abusing substances or not.

Here are some common signs of substance abuse in children

Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities

When you notice that your child no longer enjoys activities that they used to crave, it might be that substance abuse is in play.

This means that your child now prefers to spend time with their preferred substance instead of those activities that gave them joy. If you notice that this happens over time, then your child might be dealing with substance abuse.

Complete change of friends

Another way to know if your child is dealing with substance abuse is when they change their circle of friends.

It might be that their new clique of friends were the ones who introduced them to the substance abuse. Therefore, they are likely to leave their sober friends and follow the folks who would be regarded as the “cool guys.”

Aggresiveness

If you notice that your child is always getting angry or putting up violent acts, then they might be stuck on substance abuse. This means that the substance has began to change the way they respond to situations and events. So, they are likely to be more aggressive when things do not go as planned.

Secretive/Privacy

A child dealing with substance abuse will not want anyone to find out. They know that they will be disciplined or judged, so they prefer if no one knows what they are going through.

If you notice that your child is putting up secretive acts and they don’t want you to know, then substance abuse might be at play.

When you notice that your child might be struggling with substance abuse, you can seek help for them from an addiction treatment counselor or therapist.