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You know your teen is in trouble. He's been hanging out with a new set of friends. He's moody. He's irritable. He's lost interest in routine activities. He no longer cares about his appearance. You've read about this kind of thing in the newspapers, and you've seen TV reports on kids with the same set of signs. You suspect your teen's taking methamphetamine, or "meth," the drug that everyone—from parents to politicians to the police—is concerned about. You get angry. You panic. You want answers...
Suspecting your teen has been taking meth is no picnic. And it's understandable that you might feel scared and helpless, not to mention mad at yourself for not dealing with signs of substance use earlier on. You might even be furious with your child for making such poor choices in friends and activities, and for seemingly giving up on their chances of having a normal, productive life. But is this the best way to react? Are you solving the problem or starting a new one?
A better idea is to remain calm and get "in the know." Know there's hope. Know that most kids who take meth and other illegal drugs do not develop serious problems. If they do, they often recover—either on their own or with treatment. Know that what your teen needs most is YOU.
How to respond responsibly to your teen's methamphetamine use
Stay calm. Yelling and making threats won't help the situation. If anything, 'freaking out' will give your teen another reason to hide away and get high.
Talk to your child. When your teen is not high, take time to sit down and tell them how you feel. Say "I'm worried because…" or "I'm afraid because…" Then give your teen an opportunity to express their own feelings. Make sure your teen knows you're really listening. Don't try to fill silences, as your teen might need time to think things through before speaking. And avoid turning the conversation toward your own experiences as a young person. Your teen will only tune out and be turned off future talks.
Learn what your child is taking, and why. Ask what form of meth your teen is using, and what prompted them to try the drug in the first place. Was it because they were curious about what the drug would do? Or was it because they heard it would make them more alert and improve their sexual performance? You should also try to find out if your teen's meth use was a one-time event, and if they plan to continue using it. If the answer is "yes," you should find out why.
Understand the difference between a kid who takes meth and a kid with a meth problem. Typically, there are three kinds of people who use meth:
the curious type who wants to know what meth feels like
the person who occasionally takes meth to fit in at parties or to have fun
the person who needs meth to feel okay about themselves, or to cope with daily stress
Keep in mind that substance use problems of all types are most common among people who feel isolated or marginalized. Kids without connections or meaningful relationships in their lives tend to seek solace in "feel-good" drugs. Meth is an obvious choice for kids because it's cheap, easy to get, and produces a high that lasts up to 24 hours.
Give it time. You probably won't fully understand your teen's meth use after just one conversation. But you might discover they have less of a problem than you thought. That is, your teen could very well be experimenting with substances the way many young people do without ever becoming hooked. If a harmful pattern is emerging, you'll need to be even more patient. It may help to consider this: the path to your child's drug use took time to build, so don't expect a quick fix. In all likelihood, any harmful pattern of drug use is related to life challenges—feelings of failure or a lack of connection with loved ones—that sometimes take a great deal of work to resolve. It might even be related to physical and mental health issues.
Seek help. Not every parent is equipped to handle drug use issues on their own. If you need help communicating with your teen, look for local resources and organizations that can assist you. You could try talking to a school counsellor or your family doctor. You could also contact your regional Health Authority for assistance, or call the toll-free Alcohol & Drug Information & Referral Service at 1-800-663-1441.
While there's no magic formula for keeping your kids off meth—or any other substance, for that matter—there are things parents can do to minimize the risk of their teen getting into trouble with drugs.
Keep the lines of communication open. Be honest and open about the challenges your teen might face in school, at home, and in their social circle. Talk about the range of ways people deal with failure, loss, and stress, including substance use and its positive and negative effects. Share ideas about alternative ways to handle frustrations or deal with youth issues, such as the pressure to do risky things in order to fit in and be accepted. Make sure your teen knows they can come to you with any dilemma they have, and they don't need to seek solace in substance use.
Build bonds. Children and teens need to know they're loved and appreciated by their parents. And they need to develop meaningful relationships with people outside the family, whether it's friends from school or pals they play soccer with at the community centre. Having a strong feeling of connection to key adults outside the immediate family (e.g. teacher, coach, parent of a close friend) can also give your child the inner strength to make sensible decisions about substance use. You can help your teen by demonstrating how important relationships are to a balanced life.
Get familiar with risk and protective factors. Most kids are exposed to beliefs and behaviour that have the potential to harm them, as well as beliefs and behaviour that help them cope with life. Risk factors include parental modelling of high-risk substance use, weak academic performance, low self-esteem, or a sensation-seeking personality. Protective factors include close relationships and meaningful connections within the family, school environment, and community. Understanding the risk and protective factors in your child's life can help you help your teen avoid problems with meth and other substances.
Making Sense of Methamphetamine
Meth is a powerful stimulant that increases activity in the central nervous system in the same way as caffeine or cocaine does. It's a synthetic (man-made) amphetamine drug that can be made in small, in-house laboratories using over-the-counter medicines and common household products.
Meth comes in many forms—powder, crystals, pills, liquid—and can be swallowed, snorted, smoked, or injected with a needle.
Effects can last for two to 24 hours.
Most people don't realize how dangerous meth can be until their lives are somehow affected by their use, or until they've become dependent.
Small doses of meth increase a person's alertness, making it attractive to those who work long shifts.
Large doses of meth mess with your memory and mental abilities, increase your heart rate and body temperature, and can lead to malnutrition, cardiac arrest, and stroke. Long-term use can cause depression and, in some cases, psychotic-like symptoms.
Historically, white, male blue-collar workers used the drug, but today it is used as a "club drug."
Copyright © 2006 – Centre for Addictions Research of BC, University of Victoria. Permission to copy granted. Production of this document has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.
