When it comes to drugs and teens, we should be looking at things for bored teenagers to do, because a lot of the problems, with drugs can stem from boredom.
Peer pressure, is another reason why teens can get into the drug scene.
When we see a group of teenagers hanging around, on street corners or in the local park, not all of them are going to be taking drugs, drinking and making a nuisance of themselves, but they are, more than likely, going to be bored.
I'm not saying all teenagers that hang around are doing drugs or drinking themselves silly, but when boredom sets in, things they would not normally do, become that little bit more tempting.
The schools do touch on the subjects of drugs and things, but we cannot leave all the responsibility down to them.
Parents need to start doing more for their kids, including talking to them about the things in this world that are no good for them.
Drug addiction and teenagers and parents and responsibility, all need to be in the same sentence.
Parents can't and shouldn't lay the blame of addiction, on those that find themselves with it.
We need to take responsible action, before and after the fact, if we are unfortunate enough to have a teenager with an addiction.
When a teenager first experiments with alcohol, drugs or tobacco, it can be down to peer pressure.
A teenager's friendship can last throughout his, or her life, so they need to have the right friends.
This will not always happen and as parents, we need to take some responsibility in that as well.
Giving them a strong family base, with morals and being able to tell right from wrong, is a good start.
Finding something that your teenager enjoys doing, is a good start to keeping them off of the streets and out of bad company.
Finding things for bored teenagers to do, can be difficult, especially when they have lost interest in something they used to enjoy.
Keeping a teen interested in a pastime, is not as easy as it sounds either, but doing things to help them keep interested, is a must for any parent.
If your teenager takes drugs, or becomes addicted to drugs, it is not the end of the world.
You can still talk to them about it, without getting angry making them feel like you don't understand.
It is not all about rebellion, but about taking responsibility for the situation they've got themselves into and you taking responsibility for them as the parent.
Spotting the signs of addiction is not always an easy thing to do, especially with teenagers.
Addicts find all sorts of ways to hide what they are doing.
One of the key things we should all do as parents, is to be able to talk frankly and openly with our teenage children, not talk down to them and try to keep up with their interests.
Hopefully our teens will keep away from drugs and other vices, but as I've said before, we as parents have to take responsibility for the things our kids do and help them through any difficulties they have in life.