Don’t even try to treat your adolescent kids like a mini version of yourself if you are worried that your pre teen might get hooked up on drugs or alcohol.

Adolescents have fast developing brains and tend to absorb more from their surroundings than the adults. Since, it’s teenage they are naturally disposed to taking up more risks, looking for new adventures and try the exceptional things. Although all these essentials are prerequisite for growing up and entering the world of adults but these might make them vulnerable and end them up in dangerous situations. An adolescent brain is at a unique developmental stage. At this particular time, they are rendered with an increased propensity towards addiction. The Baltimore City Health Care Clinic and Maryland Addiction Recovery Centre top the list in providing top-notch, comprehensive and coordinated community based behavioural healthcare facilities.

Dr. Frances Jensen, department of neurology in the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and co-author of ‘A Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults’ mentions that its extremely crucial for parents to understand that their teenager’s brain is still under the process of development. Parents should be aware that brain is the last organ in the body to mature. Although the rate at which the brain develops varies from one individual to another, the central organ doesn’t fully mature until mid-t-late 20s. The rate, however, is a little sped up in girls and young women than the boys and young men.

In comparison to a fully developed and mature brain, the teenage brain is efficient in creating rapid circuits in the brain’s reward centers like the limbic system as a response to addictive substances. This is the reason why teenagers are more predisposed to getting stronger hold on addiction. As per the doctors, individuals developing the habit of drugs and smoking in early teens are less likely to quit as adults compared to those who gave in at later adult stages.

Parents should leave no stone unturned and talk about the very neurological differences with their adolescents. Parents should prioritize their relationship with their teens and guide them through their decisions and problem-solving that exploits the full potential of a young adult brain and stimulates their emotions.

Always keeping a check on the adolescent kids is what parents should strive for, no matter the cost. Absence of regular checks by parents may urge them to try out new things. Engaging with mid-altering and addictive substances is something that is not encouraged. Parents should be urged to talk openly about the ill-effects of substance use and how it can impair brain functioning with their teens.

Parents of adolescent children should be authoritative yet kind. They should put their best foot forward by speaking plainly with their child who might be curious about a lot many things. Emphasize and prioritize your relationship with your child. Don’t let communication create a bridge between you and your teen.