NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – An eye opener for parents when kids get hooked on drugs.
“Your children will do things that you would never think they would do and it’s because it’s a disease, it’s not because they are bad kids,” says Patricia Rehmer, who heads up the Behavioral Health Network at Hartford HealthCare.
She stresses, “It’s very important that the family is supportive and understands that this is a medical issue and that it’s not that the kid doesn’t have the will power to stop, it really needs treatment.”
If you suspect drug and alcohol abuse, experts say that searching your child’s room is not off limits.
Pam Mautte, Prevention Director at BHcare, a behavioral health care provider, says, “With searching your child’s room, you’re the parent, you’re not their friend. You as a parent know your child the best and if you think that’s what you need to do, that’s one step in the right direction.”
At-home drug testing is a preventative measure for some parents.
Rehmer says, “Have you seen some significant changes in their behavior? Are their grades dropping? If there’s anything that points to that, you might want to at least have a conversation with them about it and say this is something I’m seriously considering.”
It comes down to sending that clear message.
“I think you have a discussion. You let them know, I love you, I care about you, this isn’t going to be fun for me. I know this isn’t going to be fun for you but because of those things I’m going to do this because I want to know if something is going on,” says Andy Buccaro is the Executive Director of Project Courage – where adolescents and young adults get treatment.
He says, “We tell our parents all the time, the most loving thing you can do when you’ve been given not to trust — is not to trust. Go back to what I was saying about adolescents craving about those boundaries. They are never going to tell their parents I’m so glad you are searching my room. But – they crave it. They need it.”
An especially impactful step Buccaro says, of concerned families, suspecting a fragile crack, that could weaken the strong bond they’ve always shared.