If your teenager is addicted, it is a bad omen because growing up with the addiction into adulthood would be fully disadvantageous for them. In fact, some teenagers are unaware that they are addicted. To them, their condition is normal because they are bent on satisfying themselves.

The common types of addiction that teenagers suffer from: video gaming, gambling addiction, drugs and alcohol addiction and others.  

If you are suspecting your teenager is addicted, here are some signs that confirm your suspicion

Isolation

Typically, anyone who is addicted would prefer to keep to themselves and this is what an addicted teenager would do. The reason for their isolation is to ensure you do not criticize them as regards their addiction.

The mistake people make is when their loved ones are addicted, they use the criticism approach instead of the friendly approach. This is why addicted people shy away from those close to them, and they draw towards those who encourage their addiction.  

Academic problems

An addicted teenager would find it difficult to focus fully on their academics. This is because their attention is on their addiction and they would only pay attention to their academics when it is time for tests or exams.

Hence, if you notice that a once brilliant child is performing woefully, you might want to check in with them and confirm if they are addicted or not.

Physical Signs

Another way to tell if your teenager is addicted is observing abrupt physical signs. If your teenager suddenly gains weight or losses it drastically, it could be they are addicted. Also, watch out for signs in their eyes, head, lips and a host of others. These physical signs are typical of substance addiction.

As a parent, it is important that you draw close to your teenager more than ever. This could be one of the ways to know the recent happenings in their lives. Your relationship with your teenager is key to helping them either prevent or treat their addiction.  

One of the types of addiction that plagues teenagers these days is video gaming addiction. Teenagers spend lots of hours on their mobile devices and computers playing these games because of the pleasure they derive from it.

Parents are not usually aware of their teenagers’ addiction because they try as much as possible to hide their habit from them.  

One of the major reasons why teenagers are hooked on their video games is because, staying away from it would render their efforts useless. Hence, it is better for them to remain as close to the game as possible.

If you suspect your teenager is addicted to video games, here are some steps to treat this addiction:

Create a schedule

An easy way to disrupt your teenager’s gaming schedule is by creating a schedule for them under your watch. You should allot a particular time for them to play their video games and when the time elapses, they should get to their books or perform other activities.

If you feel your teenagers would be hooked on their devices when they are away from you, say in school, you can discuss with their teachers to keep an eye on them.

Create other fun activities for them

You need to take up the responsibility as a parent to ensure your teenagers do not remain addicted. It might be hard to achieve this at first but you need to be consistent.

You have to create fun and healthy activities for your children that would make them develop interest in these areas other than video games.

Counseling

If you suspect that your teenager’s addiction is chronic and beyond your control, it is best to take them to a counselor. The responsibility of the counselor is to assess the teenager and create a treatment pattern to bring them out of their addicted stage.

Also, the counselor would suggest ways to you that would be helpful in monitoring your teenagers so that their addicted lifestyle is not sustained.

Addiction is a brain disease which is very common, and it is either as a result of a compulsive habit or a substance. In the world today, the major types of addiction, are alcohol and drug addiction.

It would also interest you to know that, teenagers often get addicted, and theirs is worse because, their brains is still in a stage of development, so coming down with an addiction at this phase is dangerous.

It is very stressful for a teenager to manage addiction, and it takes a great toll on the teenagers and their family in general. There are lots of complications which arise when a teenager is addicted.  

It is difficult for a teenager to understand the extent to which they are addicted. Their personality and character is still in development, so it is likely for them to act way out of line.

Adults are more rigid than teenagers, and the best thing for those who are struggling with addiction is residential addiction rehab which is basically for their age group.

In residential rehab for teenagers, the first experience a teenager would go through, is detoxification. This is basically the removal of harmful substances known as toxins, from the body.

It is essential that this process is conducted during the treatment, and not prior to when the withdrawal symptoms manifest, because it could be detrimental to the person who is undergoing detoxification. During this process, medical supervision is recommended.

Sequel to detoxification, the teenager becomes ready to receive treatment. This is the stage where they will be taught to analyze their behavioral and thought patterns, alongside the life events which influence them.

Using the services of a rehab center for teenagers is important, in order to address the addiction matters which is exclusive to teenagers. This will make a profound difference in the success of their recovery.

Teenagers who are recovering from alcohol addiction, will receive treatments like group counseling, individual counseling, reading and other forms of counseling. If you know a teenager who is struggling with addiction problem, you need to make sure they get the help they need.

It is more likely for young people to try out alcohol and drugs, and once they get used to it, it becomes a habit which they carry on as they grow into adults. It is necessary that addiction is prevented in teenagers so that they would have a successful life as adults.

Basically, the goal of prevention of addiction in teenagers, is making sure that, they have their first drink when their brain has been developed to a stage where they are able to acquire good decision making skills.

It is very necessary that addiction in teenagers is not overlooked. There is a possibility that some would eventually drop the behaviour. However, we cannot be too sure, hence, it is better to set up preventive measures.

Addicted teens could come up with mental health problems, which could either be anxiety or depression, or even a combination of both. When they face this on a regular basis, it would affect their reasoning, and they would be unstable individuals with unsettled minds.

Also, there is huge possibility that they would have strained relationships with their family and friends. This happens because, when addiction sets in, they would see every need to hide it from their loved ones, so that they do not know. With time, they start telling all sorts of lies, and their communication pattern with their family and friends becomes affected.

School officials, government societies and community heads are always on the lookout for ways on how to combat addiction and also prevent it in teenagers. Addiction in teenagers happens to be a widespread problem, however, it has been reported that the rate has reduced over the years.

One of the most effective method, is educating teens on the risks associated with drug and alcohol. A good number of teenagers are not in the right state to make decisions which would better shape their future, and taking these substances would further prevent them from doing so. When teenagers are better educated on substance abuse, they would be able to make better choices.

On a concluding note, once their parents are also involved in this prevention process, you can be sure that addiction would be scarce among their children.