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My teen is sad...and has been dabbling with drugs

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My teen is sad...and has been dabbling with drugs

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Aussiedutchie

My teen is sad...and has been dabbling with drugs

Firstly, when my boy was younger he was the happiest kid around. But he rang me last Friday while I was at work in tears so I left everything and went to meet him at a local park. As he was crying, he was telling me how he finds it hard to feel happy these days and that he feels sad almost all the time. To my absolute horror, he confessed to trying LSD a few weeks ago, alone in his bedroom. He has been caught with pot a few times, smoking with a friend, but also alone in his bedroom. Even though I think he is too young for pot (not quite 15), I can find a way to accept occasional use, crazy as that may sound. But lsd??? I never saw this coming and was kind of heartbroken. In his own words, he told me that he doesn't really want to do drugs but that he is trying to find ways to escape his sadness. He is pretty insightful and knows why he is doing it, he just doesn't know why he is sad. On my part, I am very grateful that he reached out to me and could tell me all these things. But I am super worried, and honestly don't know what to do. The day of his breaking down, he had heard from a friend that his ex girlfriend was planning to sleep with someone else, which would have been the trigger for him to break down like that. But he also said that he has been feeling sad long before he even met the girl. His sadness began about a year ago, according to him. Anyone else in the same boat, or have any suggestions other than giving him all the love and support he needs? A worried mama.

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MAYC-RO

Re: My teen is sad...and has been dabbling with drugs

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Hi @Aussiedutchie 

I'm so sorry that your son is feeling this way, and it was really good that he was able to come and talk openly to you, and explain what is going on. You're right, he does seem to be very insightful.

In regards to his feelings of sadness, I've included this article on Depression as something you can look over and see if these are things he may be able to relate to.

However, as we are an Australian-based service, the references to getting a Mental Health Plan via a GP may not apply in NZ.

So I have included the details for Youthline NZ which provide a variety of information and offer free phone and webchat support, as well as counselling services for both parents and young people.