What is your child going through?
When you are trying to help your child, it is important to find a way to see the world the way they see it, to be in their shoes. Every drug user's experience is different. Their reasons for starting, continuing and wishing to stop will be different, and your child's feelings will be unique. That said, experience suggests that your child's journey may well follow a particular route, and if you know a little about it, you are more likely to be able to manage your own journey.
Whenever I tried to talk to her about her drug use she would say it was under control, that it wasn't a problem, and walk away
If your child is a teenager, remember that any discussion of their feelings will need to take into account the massive changes that all children go through in adolescence. Rejection of parental attitudes and values, pushing boundaries, desire for risk, anger and the full gamut of emotions are at work as well as the effects of drugs. So don't worry if you can't figure out what is going on! To find out about these key stages in your child's journey, and some practical strategies for getting through them, click on the different points in the chart below: