Your Thrill-Seeking Child: Leader or Drug Abuser?

Although thrill-seeking is a natural characteristic of boys, extreme sensation-seeking can be a warning sign of future drug use. Parents should use their influence over their sensation-seeking teen’s decision whether to use drugs by helping him find healthy alternative forms of excitement.

Whether it’s climbing trees, riding their bikes too fast, or pushing the limits of parental tolerance, most boys seem to love life on the edge. Many parents have scratched their head in bewilderment over what inner forces could have caused their boys to voluntarily proceed in the face of such obvious dangers. The answer is partly biological. Growing boys are natural thrill-seekers because of testosterone, the hormone associated with maleness. Testosterone is a catalyst of risk. It induces boys to take great risks for what is logically a small potential reward. Testosterone causes even young boys to be attracted to high-risk activities, such as car racing and contact sports.

But as a boy grows into a teen, extreme risk-taking can be a warning sign that he may be likely to abuse drugs. Research suggests that teens that crave high degrees of stimulation or excitement are at a much greater risk for drug, alcohol, or tobacco abuse. These “sensation seeking” teens take greater risks than their peers and are more likely to be easily bored.

However, sensation seeking is not necessarily a negative character trait. The willingness to take risks and act confidently in the face of new challenges are attributes we often associate with leadership. Great social advances have often been achieved through men who were willing to take risks that others would not.

Parental involvement ranks high (just behind sports) as one of the most important factors in a child’s decision to reject drugs. Parents must not underestimate the influence they have over this decision. A Partnership for A Drug Free America study indicates that two-thirds of teenagers cite fear of parental disapproval as a primary reason to abstain from drug use.

What parents do to influence their teens is important. Stressing the dangers of drug use may not get through to a sensation-seeking teen because of his perception of risk. Such tactics may have the unintended effect of attracting the teen to drug use precisely because it is a risky behavior.

Parents must offer alternative activities to serve as substitutes for the excitement that they might otherwise obtain from drug use. A parent’s best bet to ensure that their sensation-seeking teen avoids drugs and ends up in the “leader” category is to help him focus their energy on healthy activities. Activities that involve active and competitive behavioral are often most appealing. Examples of constructive activities for sensation seeking teens include sports, hiking, fishing, music, and interesting hobbies. The idea is to interest the teen in activities that satisfy the teen’s attraction to excitement without chemical substances.