The sooner parents get their child appropriate care, the better the child will be able to recover. Experts in adolescent addiction say that the first step for parents is to admit there is a problem. The second is to determine the extent of the problem with the help of a health care or adolescent addiction professional. Don t try to treat the child at home get a comprehensive evaluation from a physician or a mental health care professional. Then the parents should ask the school psychologist or social worker for referrals to local addiction professionals, he said.
Many professionals recommend an intervention.
According to Simkin, it s crucial that parents not take this step without professional guidance. This is really beginning to impact your life. He recommends including teachers or school counselors in the intervention. This process should lead inexorably to counseling. Parents must be ready to get their children the appropriate treatment immediately.