Wondering If Your Teen Is Using Illegal Drugs? What You Can Do

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When you are the parent of a teenager, there are many different causes for concern. After all, teenagers are becoming less and less dependent upon you for care and guidance and may begin to make mistakes that can have lifelong consequences. The use of illegal drugs and the potential addictions and other health consequences they may cause are one of those major concerns. If you are worried about your child and the possibility that they are experimenting with or frequently using illegal drugs, get to know some of the steps that you can take to keep your teenage child as healthy and safe as possible.

Get the School Involved

First and foremost, you should know that you do not have to deal with this alone if you do not want to. If you suspect that your child is using drugs and may be using or obtaining them while in school (or on school grounds), you can and should get the school involved.

Your child's school will have numerous resources available to help you figure out a course of action regarding your child's possible illegal drug use. Teachers can be informed of the possibility and will keep a closer eye on your child's appearance, behavior, and performance in class to determine whether or not they show signs of drug use. Guidance counselors, school social workers, psychologists, and even nurses may also be able to get involved to talk directly to your child and assess their mental and physical state for drug abuse.

Some school districts also have policies in place for drug testing for students who they have reasonable cause to believe are using illegal substances. This drug testing is free of charge to you and can give you the answers you are looking for regarding your child's involvement with drugs. Of course, you should be aware that involving the school may also mean that law enforcement gets involved, particularly if drug use and sales are occurring on school grounds.

Give Your Child a Random Drug Test Yourself

Nowadays, there are accurate drug testing kits that you can purchase at a local drugstore or pharmacy to test a person for certain substances. If you do not want to get the school involved or your child's school district does not have a drug testing program in place, you can purchase one of these kits from a place like Pecos Drug Testing for your child.

Be sure that you do not give your teen any forewarning that you plan to test them for drugs as they might try to concoct an elaborate way to beat/cheat the drug test. Also, wait until after the weekend is over if your child tends to spend a lot of time with friends or hidden away in their room on the weekends. This will ensure that if your child has been using illegal substances, they are fresh in their system.

Now that you know a few of the steps that you can take if you suspect your teen is using illegal drugs, you can be sure that you take the steps necessary to protect your child's health.

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5 May 2016

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