As the number of teens using illicit drugs, tobacco and alcohol is increasing, the number of drug related issues is also increasing. Lack of right timed interventions is resulting in the advancement of drug abusing habits in teens though government and community leaders are designing numerous strategies. To detect and confirm along with correction of these unhealthy habits at the right time is thus very important to help teenagers from getting destroyed due these unhealthy habits.

This article discusses about few essential steps, which help in stopping your teen from becoming a long-term victim of the above mentioned unhealthy habits.

Teens are vulnerable to unhealthy habits: Chances of adopting unhealthy habits such as smoking, alcohol or illicit drugs are more during the teenage, as this is the transition phase of life in which a child advances from childhood to early adolescence. At this stage, the social interaction increases and the teen will have more exposure to situations such as increased drug availability, drug abusing peer groups and social activities involving drugs, which may enhance the risk of abusing drugs, tobacco and alcohol.

Identify the symptoms of unhealthy habits: A teen can be suspected of adopting these unhealthy habits by observing few symptoms which he exhibits both physically and behaviorally. The physical symptoms include red and watery eyes, changes in eating habits, unusual sleep times, needle marks on the body, and excessive sweating. Confused and paranoid behavior, lying about their activities, physically and orally abusive and disrespectful, avoiding family matters, change in personal grooming habits and sudden drop in grades at school are some of the behavioral symptoms. Once these symptoms identified, immediately confirm the habit to take further action.

Intervene at the right time – conduct drug tests: These unhealthy habits can pose serious health issues. Thus, they should be confirmed immediately on identification of these symptoms. Parents or school authorities can check for illicit drug, alcohol or tobacco abuse in teens by using drug testing kits available in the market. Besides ensuring privacy, they also give accurate, fast and reliable results. Early detection and confirmation of these habits helps in taking preventive measures to protect the teen from further abuse.

Educate about the harmful effects of unhealthy habits: Teens often tend to take risks by experimenting with unhealthy substances. They often ignore the severe effects of such behavior. Parents, teachers and community leaders should be responsible to educate teens about the harmful consequences of these habits. Conducting an open talk with the teens to make them aware of the ill effects of these habits is necessary. Also, explain to them about the tragic lives of drug abusers, as real life experiences are more convincing in prevention of future substance abuse.

Encourage healthy lifestyle: As a corrective measure in the process of treating a drug abusing teen, encourage him/her to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This is the critical step that ensures the total well-being of the teen. A teen can develop healthy lifestyle by involving in regular physical exercise, having a healthy diet and engaging in extra-curricular activities including meditation. This will make the teen stay more relaxed and happy, thus avoiding the need to abuse the drugs.

The effective way to stop unhealthy habits in teens is to detect and correct them. Follow these steps as soon as possible in order to save them from the harmful consequences of these habits.