Detecting a Child’s Drug Use
Part I of a two-part series
It is vital in this day and age that you as a parent are educated on drugs and their use. Unfortunately, there is an unprecedented level of availability of drugs wherever you go, and it doesn’t take many steps in the wrong direction for a teen to try something addictive, and get trapped in a deadly situation.
An important role of all parents is good education on what drugs are, their affects and dangers. A secondary role is identifying drug use if it shows up. This is vital because no matter the education, it is still possible that a child decides to experiment, and so it can begin.
To help you with this task, here are some commonly abused drugs, and signs you should watch for:
Ritalin
Ritalin is the brand name of a prescription medication used to treat ADHD. It is a stimulant drug, known generically as methylphenidate.
This drug is often abused (taken without a prescription, or in a way that is not following the prescription guidelines) by a student who’s concerned about academic performance, stressed about grades, a scholarship, or being accepted into college or university. It is also abused by those wanting to keep their weight levels down.
Ritalin is a strong stimulant, it is addictive, suppresses the appetite and makes a person wakeful. Signs that it is being abused are odd hours of sleep, staying up extremely late, or even missing whole night’s sleep. Heavy or chronic use can result in paranoia, aggressive behaviour, anxiety and palpitations.
Marijuana
Marijuana is a form of cannabis, usually smoked in cigarettes.
Signs that it is being abused are its distinctive smell on the clothes or person and bloodshot eyes (eye whitening drops can be used to hide this). A person currently using can become very chatty, euphoric or lethargic, after longer-term use a person’s memory becomes foggy as does their concentration levels, the person can also experience anxiety or paranoia.
Particularly noticeable in teens can be dropped goals or hobbies, lessening academic standards, as well as a change in social circle.
Opioids
This category of drug includes painkillers like hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), oxycodone (Percodan, OxyContin), morphine (MS Contin), heroin, methadone and synthetics like fentanyl.
These drugs all have a similar effect, they slow the breathing and make a person less aware of pain and their surroundings. They are often abused to achieve a sense of well-being or pleasure.
A person high on these drugs can dope off suddenly. Their vision may be blurry and the person could vomit when the drug takes effect.
If a person develops a tolerance to these drugs, some of these signs will be less marked. When fully addicted, a dose of opioids will simply keep the person from getting sick from withdrawal symptoms, no longer producing any euphoria.
Inhalants
The average ages for sniffing, or inhalant abuse is very young; in fact users between 12-17 are often found going to rehab, usually because of its ready availability in the home.
Important signs for detecting inhalant use can start with being alert to aerosol or volatile products in the house going missing, running out faster than they should, or finding paint or solvent-stained rags or papers in the home or garage.
Signs in the user will often include irritability, excessive excitement, restlessness, angry behaviour, nausea, lessened appetite, a runny nose, red eyes, bad coordination, and a drunk or dazed appearance; the breath, body or clothes can also smell like chemicals.
We will continue to go through commonly abused drugs in Part II.
If you have become aware of your child abusing drugs and don’t know what to do about it, or would like more information about our rehabilitation programme, then contact us.
