What parents should not do when you find marijuana in your child's drawer

Karen Khaleghi, PhD, describes the best course of action if you catch your child with illegal substances.
Tips for Parenting Teens | What to do and not do if you find your child in possession of drugs
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What parents should not do when you find marijuana in your child's drawer

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If you find drugs in your child's possession, in their room, in their backpack, in their purse, where there's smoke there is fire. So, to hear the story of, "It's not mine. Somebody gave it to hold," don't believe it, it's not the case. It nine times out of ten is not the case. The one thing you want to do, is in that emotional moment don't act. You're going to be able to say to them, "I'm going to think about this, and we're going to talk about this." That creates anxiety and stress within your kid, which is fine. They should feel anxious, they should feel stressed, they've just been caught. You can then allow yourself the time to step back and come from it with a different response. You'll be able to get with your partner, your spouse, your family, and talk it through. Or call a therapist, whatever you have to do to help support yourself in coming to that decision. You don't have to render an opinion, a punishment, a dictate, at that given moment in time. Step back, and then decide how you want to handle it. The major peril of parenting, is giving punishments without follow-up. So you never want to say, "This is your punishment," unless you're really willing to follow up with whatever that is. So, step back, discuss it with your spouse, or your partner, or your family, or your therapist, and then make a plan of action.

Karen Khaleghi, PhD, describes the best course of action if you catch your child with illegal substances.

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Karen Khaleghi, PhD

Co-founder of Creative Care Malibu

Dr. Karen Khaleghi is a pioneer in the field of dual diagnosis, or co-occurring drug and alcohol addiction along with mental health disorders. As one of the co-founders of Creative Care in Malibu and co-author of The Anatomy of Addiction, Dr. Karen speaks to parents and organizations about the formation of addiction, the critical aspects of nature and nurture and the resulting disconnection between emotions and behavior as well as the genesis of addiction and the path to recovery, a process she calls "connecting the dots." 

There are many things that set Dr. Karen Khaleghi apart from others including her individualized treatment approaches and excellent treatment facility Creative Care which is filled with clinical staff comprised of professionals that offer the highest standard of care in the industry. Karen graduated from California Graduate Institute with her Ph.D in 1989 and lives in Los Angeles, CA with her loving husband and children. Dr. Karen Khaleghi has been featured on The Today Show, KCAL 9, Dr. Phil and many others!

 

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