Parental addiction affects young people in different ways. Parents are often unable to meet children’s physical and emotional needs when their lives are dominated by seeking a substance or engaging in a behaviour. In many cases, families experience role-reversal, when children or adolescents become responsible for meeting their parents’ and family’s needs, disrupting normal processes of child development.
Despite the prevalence of teen drug use in the UAE, widespread prevention strategies are still lacking. Both adolescents and experts highlight the need for school-based prevention programs and parental support to help young people stay safe and identify and support young people who may be using substances harmfully.
This blog offers parents some advice about how to speak to young people about drugs and what they can do to keep them safe. It also provides some information about drug use in the Gulf region and the consequences of substance abuse for adolescent mental health.
Why Ketamine is fast becoming the drug of choice for Young Adults. Ketamine is no newcomer to the party drug scene. It has been on
What is Purple Drank? “Purple Drank” is a trendy, sweet-tasting drink, that is made up of prescription-grade cough syrup, hard candy and soft drinks. It
Drugs come in many forms; illegal, prescription and even over the counter medications that, if abused, can lead to a serious dependency. From street drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine to prescribed medications, like Oxycodone and Vicodin and even those bought from a pharmacy, for example, codeine; all alter the chemistry of the brain and create a need, both mentally and physically to continue feeding the addiction.
As parents and caregivers, most of us will face moments when telling the whole truth feels incredibly difficult. Whether it’s explaining the death of a
Emotionally-based school refusal is often associated with anxiety. But there are many emotions and internal experiences that can lead to school refusal. These include separation anxiety, social anxiety, sadness and distress.
Emotional dysregulation develops when a young person’s emotional learning processes are disrupted. This might be because they lack stable environments and relationships that facilitate socio-emotional learning, or because their caregivers aren’t able to role model effective emotional regulation.
