“K2” and “bath salts” these drugs are
thought by many – erroneously – to
be legal highs.
The teen users I have worked
with clinically tend to have started
using alcohol and tobacco or pot
at a relatively early age. Although
some people seem to think of these
as “lighter” drugs and not cause for
alarm, I disagree. In fact, the potency
of cannabis has increased in recent
years due to improvements in growing
technology. Therefore, I consider
the idea that pot is not addictive
and therefore less worrisome rather
outdated. Not all people experience
physical withdrawal symptoms from
cannabis; however, it is well known
that there is psychological dependency,
and there are psychological symptoms
associated with use or withdrawal,
such as anxiety, problems with
attention and concentration,
and depression.
But I was fine
Perhaps you were a dedicated
teetotaller in high school and
university. Or, maybe you raged
against the machine and only just
managed to get your act in shape to
pass your exams. Either way, those
days likely seem far away and you are
amazed on a daily basis that your little
ones have grown rapidly into adult-
sized bodies with the emotional ups
and downs of a roller coaster. Do you
really need to worry that the sweet
little boy who couldn’t get enough
of your hugs a few years ago might
be experimenting with drugs? The
unfortunate answer is, yes you do.
Working as a family therapist
with families who have struggled to
break free of the intergenerational
cycle of drug, alcohol and physical
abuse, I have seen first-hand the
ravages of unfettered experimentation
in teens. I have experienced the pain
of parents, who despite their own
struggles, hoped that their children
would not walk a similar path – only
to watch them do just that. I have
also worked with parents who breezed
through their own party days of
university intact and unencumbered
from addiction, only to be shocked
when their teens fell into a recurring
pattern of use and abuse.
While your own substance abuse
history can significantly increase the
chance that your teen will become
addicted, the fact that you have not
experienced problems with drugs
or alcohol does not ensure that your
teens will be immune to addiction.
This is why I never encourage parents
to allow controlled use under their
care. Some believe that by overseeing
drug and alcohol experimentation,
they’ll prevent their kids from
going elsewhere for their high and,
therefore, protect their safety. Not
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