Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

You should be on the lookout of warning signs of drug abuse in your teen. If you do see six or more warning signs, you should not ignore them. Instead talk to your teen about his drug addiction and then ensure that you seek professional help to assist your teen in overcoming his addiction.

Here are the warning signs of teenage drug abuse that you should be looking out for.

Signs in the Home:
• Losing interest in family activities
• Showing disregard for family rules
• Withdrawing from his responsibilities
• Becoming verbally or physically abusive
• Sudden decrease or increase in appetite
• Not coming home on time
• Not telling you where he is going
• You suddenly find valuables and money missing from home
• Making excuses for his behavior
• Prefers spending time alone in his bedroom
• Lies about where he was and what he was doing
• You find cigarette rolling paper, pipes, small glass vials, plastic baggies or roach clips in his room or his pant pockets

Signs at School:
• His grades start dropping all of a sudden
• Skipping school without informing you
• Not doing his homework
• Loses interest in learning
• Starts having problems with his memory and has short attention span all of a sudden
• Teachers complain that he is sleeping in class
• Suddenly becomes defiant of authority
• Does not inform you of teacher meetings or open houses
• Loses interests in sports and other extra-curricular activities

Physical and Emotional Signs:
• Suddenly has new set of friends
• His breath or body smells of alcohol or marijuana
• Unexplained mood swings and behavior
• Becomes argumentative and negative
• Becomes anxious
• Over reacts to criticism
• Does not share personal problems like before
• Constantly tired or hyperactive
• Sudden weight loss or weight gain
• Steals money
• Seems to always need money or has too much money on him
• Does not take pride in his appearance
• Seems constantly depressed and unhappy

A point to remember is some of these warning signs may be present even if your teen is not doing drugs. There could be many reasons for this and the most valid reason would be adolescence. So, do not over react and start accusing your teen of drug use. Make sure you have an honest talk with him before jumping to any conclusions.

By: Pauline Go

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