Think Your Child May Be Using Drugs?

Signs of the Times

Think your child or teen may be using drugs? The following behaviors can be warning signs of problems related to alcohol or drug use.

Signs in the Home

• Isolation from family
• Disregard for family rules and responsibilities
• Verbally or physically abusive
• Lack of responsibility
• Sudden increase or decrease in appetite
• Disappearance of valuable items or money
• Secrecy about where they are going
• Constant excuses for behavior
• Pushing curfew times
• Lying, especially about what they’re doing
• Spending a lot of time in their room
• Find rolling papers, pipes, roach clips, glass vials, plastic baggies, or drug remnants in their room, purse or backpack

Signs at School

• Sudden drop in grades
• Change in friends
• Truancy
• Loss of interest in learning
• Missed homework assignments
• Drowsy or sleeping in class
• Poor work performance
• Poor attitude toward sports or other extra curricular activities
• Defiance of authority
• Reduced memory or attention span
• Not informing you of teacher meetings, open houses, or school events

Physical and Emotional Signs

• Smell of alcohol or marijuana on breath or body
• Significant change in friends
• Red and glazed eyes
• Unexplainable mood swings and behavior
• Negative, argumentative, paranoid, or confused, destructive, anxious
• Overreacts to criticism, acts rebellious
• Sharing few, if any, of their personal problems
• Overly tired or hyperactive
• Drastic weight loss or weight gain
• Unhappy or depressed
• Cheats and steals
• Always needs money or has excessive amounts of money