Signs Your Teen Is Using Drugs
It's every parents fear that their teen has been introduced to alcohol or marijuana. It's even scarier to think the could be addicted to harder and more dangerous drugs like meth or heroin. Each year thousands of teenager get addicted to drugs and need some sort of treatment. Some of these teens will overdose and some actually die. This doesn't have to happen and we as parents can do something about it. One of the first things you need to do as a parent is understand and look for the signs that your teen is using drugs. Below is a list of things to watch out for.
- A change in clothes and behavioral.
- A change in the group of friends they are hanging around.
- Their grades start to drop.
- They loose interest in the activities that they used to love.
- Their diet will change by eating more or not enough.
- You catch them stealing money from you or other family members.
- A good thing to look for is physical appearance such as blood shot eyes or smelly clothes.
- Any paraphernalia such as pipes or needles.
- They become easily agitated over small and insignificant issues.
- Always tired and is constantly sleeping or staying out late on weekends.
These are a small list to educate parents who aren't sure if their teen is abusing drugs. One way to be completely sure your teenager is drug free is to give them a drug test. You can take them to a local clinic or you can purchase a drug test online and administer it yourself at home. Also make sure you monitor them when they are taking the test. Some teens will ask a friend or family member to urine in a cup so it appears like it's their urine.
One last step you have to be sure your teen is abusing drugs is to spend time and have quality time with your teen. This may seem like a struggle nowadays with parents working and teens wanting more time with friends. Set up a family night where you dedicate 2 - 3 hours where everyone shuts of their phones and does something together as a family. Love and patience is a good drug prevention tool. If your teen is already extremely addicted to drugs, give us a call and we can find placement in a drug rehab center.