Parents’ Denial Checklist

Denial--It ain't just a river in Egypt. These questions may help you to pull your head out of the sand (in case it is). With teenage drug abuse being the enormous problem that it is now, any of these questions could strike a nerve; you may have a problem. If several of them seem frighteningly familiar, you probably do have a problem. And if you recognize them, you could need further help.

• Does your child have red eyes most of the time? Does he have his own supply of eye drops?

• Are you ignoring changes in your child’s behavior? Changes in his personality? Changes in his grades?

• Do you attribute unacceptable behavior to “being a teenager”?

• Do you blame your spouse or “the divorce” for your child’s problems?

• When your spouse or outsiders suggest that your child may have a problem with drugs or alcohol, do you listen? Or do you just get mad at the accuser?

• Are you feeling like a failure as a parent?

• Do you buy your child’s story that the drugs and/or paraphernalia that was found in his room or his car “belongs to a friend”?

• If you are a working mother, do you blame yourself for your child’s problems because you’re not in the home? If you’re a working father, do you blame yourself for your child’s problems because you have to work such long hours or you’re on the road a lot?

• If you went into your child’s room right now, would you find any signs of drugs? What would you do if you did?

• Are you blaming divorce or the absence of one parent in the home for your child’s behavior?

• Are you feeling anxious about the problems your child is having adjusting to growing up?

• Has your child admitted to trying marijuana? Will he talk to you about it?

• Does your child say that he only “smoked pot”? Do you believe him?

If you have answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may want to seek the help of a therapist.

Related Articles:

• Varieties of Parental Denial About Teenage Drug Abuse
• 10 Examples of Clear Boundaries
• What Causes Drug Addiction?
• How to Talk to Your Kids if You Did Drugs
• Parents’ Checklist: Ways You Can Help Your Addicted Teen
• Does Relapse Mean Treatment Failure?