cannabis use in teens

[Jay-9]

I just found my 16 yr old son high in the kitchen at 11.30pm on a school night, whilst everyone else was in bed. After denying canabis use to start with, he has now told me that he has been using a few times a week for a few months. He says he buys it at school. I've confiscated his drugs and equipment and phone for the night, but I don't know what to do. I didn't get angry, but just told him how disappointed I am and that it's unacceptable behaviour. I know all teens experiment with drugs and alcohol but using alone in his room and a few times a week to me is frightening.

[Ngaio-RO]

Hey @Jay-9 Welcome to Reach Out.

It can be really unsettling to encounter your teenager high on drugs but I understand when you say that finding out he has been doing it for a while, and usually alone, has left you feeling frightened for his well being.

Well done on your response to him. I worked with young people with drug use issues, and their familes, for a long time and one of the things I always reccommended to parents was to chuck out the drugs when you find them. It's a really simple way for your teenager to get the message about how you feel. It also works as a motivator to not bring drugs into the home.

If you click here you can read a topic posted by a parent who went through something really similar. Maybe @workingdad2 could offer some suggestions about what worked for him.

Clicking here will take you to the Family Drug Support website that has lots of really good information as well as a phoneline you can call to chat to people who have lived experience.

Have you had a chance to chat to him about this since that night?

[Ngaio-RO]

Hey @Jay-9 We're talking about alcohol and drug use tonight if you're keen to join us.

Head over here

[Torry_Cox]

Hi @Jay-9.

I think that it is necessary to talk to him as an adult, ask the right questions (why he does it and what it gives him)? Give a personal example, tell how you behaved at his age. And try to talk as a friend on an equal footing and not as a teenager