Is Their Addiction My Fault? The Importance of Not Placing Blame

When faced with a teen addiction, it’s easy to play the blame game. You may ask yourself, “Is this my fault?” This is the natural assumption of every parent who has a teen with an addiction. Since you raised them, you think that there’s something you did or didn’t do to cause this. If you’re a parent blaming yourself for your teen’s addiction, you shouldn’t. It’s not your fault. With emotions running high in situations like this, you want to blame someone, but it’s not that simple. Today in the Ozarks Teen Challenge blog, we’ll talk about fault and addiction.

It’s Not Their Fault Either

Playing the blame game with addiction is a pointless endeavor. In fact, it’s not even the addict’s fault. When a teen tries a drug for the first time or drinks alcohol, they don’t have the intention of becoming an addict. No one does. Addiction isn’t something that people choose, and it’s not something that happens thanks to another person. While it’s true a teen might be around people or situations that might encourage alcohol or drug use, that doesn’t mean their addiction started because of those people or situations.

Remember, addiction is a disease. It’s not something you can just turn on or off. There are a number of factors that might determine if someone becomes an addict, such as genetic predisposition, but the fault doesn’t lie on the shoulders of you as their parent, the teen themselves, or even their peers.

Next Steps

As we said, playing the blame game is a waste of time. Instead of doing this, look toward helping your teen heal. While you can’t cure their addiction yourself, you can help them come to the realization that they need help. With the right rehab program and the tools they need to stay clean, a teen can be stronger than their disease and have the power to live their lives the right way.

We may have mentioned it before, but it’s good to remind yourself that you can’t make the decision to get clean for them. A teen has to realize they have a problem and realize they need help. With persistence and patience, you can help convince your teen of this fact.

If your teen resists rehab at first, again, don’t blame yourself. This is natural. Just stay positive and let your teen know how much you care. This way they know they can come to you when they come to the realization that they need treatment.