Some teenagers might know what addiction means, but not all of them know when they are addicted because, at that point, they are focused on pleasing their brain’s reward system.

Any teenager who doesn’t control or treat their addiction problem would find it difficult to let go of it when they become adults.

Here are some ways to manage addiction problems in your teenager

• Talk to them lovingly

When a teenager suspects that you are about to scold them for any habit, they will distance themselves from you. This would make it difficult for you to know about anything else they might be facing.

Anytime you want to approach an addicted teenager, do it from a standpoint of love. Let the teenager know that you identify with what they are struggling with and you’re open to helping them overcome what they are facing.

• Know their friends

When a teenager is addicted, it is most likely that they were pressured into their addiction by friends. Therefore, it is your responsibility to know the friends of the teenager. This would help you know best to help your teenager seek help.

• Take your teenager to an addiction counselor

The primary responsibility of a counselor is to help an addict uncover the root cause of their addiction and guide them to sobriety. When the counselor interviews the teenager, they will be able to know how best to go about their addiction treatment.

The counselor also presents himself as a trusted individual that the teenager can always rely on. This would make it easy for the teenager to open up to the counselor.

• Work with the counselor to establish rules for your teenager

When there are strict rules in place, your teenager would abide by them and this will help you manage their addiction problem.

For instance, if your teenager is struggling with behavioral addiction like gaming addiction, you can create a routine for them where they have limited hours to play games.

Additionally, if your teenager is addicted to substances like alcohol and drugs, you can reduce their going to parties and be more sensitive to the type of friends they keep.