I have a child who…has aerosol cans under the bed.

I have a child who has aerosol cans under the bed.

Drug use among young people surfaced in the 60’s as a sign of rebellion and a way of acting out against “the establishment.” The drugs of choice were marijuana, alcohol, and speed. Over the years, inhalants (aerosols, gasoline, butane, freon, correction fluid, glue, etc.) became more readily used by younger children because of their nominal cost and availability. Those that experimented with inhalants often turned to marijuana and harder drugs. Since the 90’s older teenagers continued to use inhalants by themselves and in combination with other drugs. Inhalants are one of the most destructive kinds of drugs because of the damage they cause to the brain, liver, and kidneys.

Because of the danger to your child’s life, act swiftly. First of all, have a frank discussion with your child to explain why you are taking such harsh actions: you love him/her and have been entrusted by God to look out for his/her welfare. Since he/she obviously does not regard the foolishness of his/her actions and the danger it presents to his/her wellbeing, you are imposing a strict punishment in order to make him/her understand the consequences of drugs. If this does not stop the behavior, you need to seek intervention. Addiction is deadly!

Explain that you are going to be extremely vigilant to see that he/she does not slip into this behavior again. Even though it appears that a child wants “freedom”, he/she really wants the opposite. When he/she knows that his/her parents care enough about him/her to monitor his/her behavior closely, his/her sense of security increases.

• According to the 2007 SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 17.2% of youth indicated that inhalants were the first drug that they used.

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