Parents concerned about wayward teen
-- Parents in Despair
Dear Parents: Perhaps your therapist has mentioned the side effects of using marijuana. If not, you should find a counselor who can draw an obvious conclusion. This might not be a goal-problem, but a pot-problem.
An article published in Forbes Magazine distilled recent studies on the chronic effects of smoking pot: "the drug is linked to reduced learning, memory, and attention...One study found a reduction in IQ of 8 points in long-time users, the greatest decline being in people who'd started using as teenagers and continued daily into adulthood."
Other side effects are paranoia, and an overall lack of motivation. Some users experience psychosis.
Sound familiar?
Your son has pot in his system 24 hours a day. He may have started using to mitigate other problems such as anxiety or depression. But now his drug use is the primary problem. At 17, his brain is still growing. He is literally altering his brain by pumping it full of THC. Under these circumstances, how can you reasonably expect him to make healthy choices?
Don't send your son to his grandparents. They will be even more clueless than you are.
If you are able to afford it, residential treatment where they concentrate on the "whole person" (as well as his drug use) might work for him.
You should try to communicate with him about a workable plan for when he turns 18. You should let him know that you will never give up on him, but that you won't be housing him as long as he is using.
Dear Amy: My boyfriend and I have been together for 29 years. We get along well, and always have, although we don't communicate very well.
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