What Are the Signs of Teen Drug Abuse?

According to medicinenet.com, nearly 27% of adolescents used a drug in the past month and one-third of 10th graders used marijuana in the last year. Additionally, 3000 teens smoke their first cigarette each day and one-third of those new smokers become daily smokers. The number of drugs that teenagers abuse remains endless. Detecting the warning signs of drug use in a teen is difficult for some parents or educators. However, knowing when to step in to help a teenager from becoming a habitual drug user is key to the teenager's success.

Changes In Behavior

• Some behavioral warning signs of teen drug abuse include changes in relationships, including family interaction and new friends. If a teen acts unlike himself, becoming withdrawn, hostile or secretive, an underlying problem may be the cause. Additional behavior changes are inability to focus and/or hyperactivity, strange sleeping patterns and endless excuses for such behavior.

Problems With School Or Work

• If a student's grades slip unexpectedly, look into the matter immediately. While this is not always a drug issue, frequently the onset use of drugs makes it difficult to focus, making school work harder. Truancy or skipping school altogether are additional warning signs. Loss of interest in extracurricular activities and reports of strange behavior while at school top the warning signs of teen drug abuse.

Health Problems

• The excessive use of drugs and alcohol can eventually lead to continued and dangerous health problems including frequent nosebleeds, sudden weight changes (loss or gain), headaches, runny nose, nausea and frequent illnesses. Consult a doctor if these medical problems arise in your teenager.

Problems At Home

• Frequently, problems at home lead to the discovery of teen drug use. When money is missing, prescription pills are gone and alcohol is consumed without warning, there may be potential drug use. Additional warning signs in the home include hidden objects in the teenager's room or an unusual smell on their clothes. A teen using drugs may also lie frequently, break curfew or remain secluded.

Getting Help

• Ultimately, if a teenager is not ready to get help for drug abuse, proper healing and treatment cannot occur. An intervention is a helpful way of sharing parental feelings about the drug abuse. Group therapy can also be helpful. Additional teen treatment options include individual drug counseling, relapse prevention and twelve-step programs.