Need help with son

[fatherneedshelp]

I have a recently turned 18 yo son, he is driving a car in my name which I am paying for, I have found weed more than once, a little coke and recently mushrooms in the car. His GF is 17 and best friend 16. He does have a job but I believe just winging it. He failed 11th grade but making up points and will still graduate if he keeps up his grades however, he is traveling down a dark road and I don’t know how to handle. I struggled with addiction when I was young and see the signs, almost like a repeat of my life. Take his car? tell the minor children’s parents? Shut off his cell which I pay for? It seems he just is not taking it seriously. We are good parents and really don’t ask much of him other than keep your room clean, wash your cloths, take a shower and we make him pay for the vehicle insurance. That’s it! We don’t yell, we only try to talk to him. We tell him we love him. Thoughts????

[Blake-RO]

Hi @fatherneedshelp 

Welcome to ReachOut's Parent & Carer forums.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. It is clear how concerned you are about your son and I can tell how much you care about him and want to help. It also sounds like his recent behaviour has triggered memories around your own painful past which must be heightening the fears you have for your son.

Whilst our service and resources are Australian specific, we wanted to share some important resources around substance use specific to your community which include Drugfree and Substance Use Resources

I also wanted to share this article with you about setting realistic boundaries with your teenager that I thought would be helpful for you to have a look over.

I am also mindful of the impact this must be having on you and wondered what your own support network looks like?