Adolescent Drug Abuse: Signs And Symptoms
by admin on February 16, 2010
Adolescent drug abuse is a significant problem which the American population is faced with today.
There just seems to be no end to this problem and it is getting worse day by day. Did you know that the average age when people start taking drugs is now as low as 12.5 years?
So how do you know if your teenaged child is using drugs? Granted, it is not simple to figure out whether your child is at risk, but it is definitely not impossible. Watchful parents can help their children out if they act on time and keep a close eye on their children. This of course leads to a lot of problems in family life, but hey, anything to help your child right?
Signs and Symptoms
If your child suddenly withdraws in his or her shell and starts spending most of his or her time alone. If he stays away from his friends and suddenly starts keeping to himself, it is a definite sign that something is majorly wrong.
Your child is depressed. Your child expresses feelings of dejection, or you can make out that he or she is undergoing some personal trauma which is severely affecting them.
If your child seems to have frequent mood swings and talks inappropriately. A more accurate way of putting it would be to say that if your child starts talking nonsense or seems to be in his or her own world.
Sudden weight gain or weight loss in your teen is a sure sign of drug abuse.
If your child is in bad company and is mixing with people who are known to be drug abusers then you may be sure that they have influenced him or her to just “have a go” at it.
If you suddenly notice money missing from the house then it’s a sure sign that your child is using drugs.
If your child no longer attends school regularly, coupled with dropping grades and a marked lack of interest in classes or in fact, anything at all should help you identify that your child has a substance abuse problem. Adolescent drug abuse is not hard to track, all it takes to do so, is to keep your eyes and ears open!
