How to tell if your child is on drugs

Have you been suspecting that your child is on drugs? Has he or she been acting strange? Skipping school, failing classes or hanging out with shady "Friends"? Have you found that they have either increases or decreased hunger? Are they eating normally or sticking around for meals? Has he or she came home late after being with friends and headed straight for their bedroom? Does your child come home and go straight for the kitchen or maybe straight for the bed? I myself have a 2 year old daughter and i have personally been addicted to drugs, more than once actually. If you are suspecting that your child is using drugs then you need to approach this with caution. Determining whether your child is a drug addict or just occasionally using drugs is essential. Has he or she just randomly acted weird or is something that has been going on a lot lately? Something i can say with experience is that friends are the main reason that people are enabled to actually acquire drugs. The main thing that you need to know is that they are doing this because they can, its not always because of some kind of life issue. Most teenagers smoke pot and snort prescription drugs, most drink and most experiment with Psychedelic Drugs. The main thing you need to worry about isn't them experimenting, its them actually becoming full-time users. The biggest mistake you can make right now is assuming you know what they are on and assuming that you can simply get them to quit by just talking with them. As a former drug addict i can tell you that it is not easy to kick a real habit, it requires a lot of effort and pure will power. If you want some help figuring this problem out and getting them away from it then you have come to the right place! I will explain behavior and mood changes, i will explain how to tell what they are on and how to approach them about it. I used to be addicted to pain killers and heroin, i used to smoke pot, drop acid and eat mushrooms. I have been there and done it all, i have been to raves and i have been to crack houses, i have lost everything and slowly i am still getting it all back. Drug use effects everyone, becoming an addict is never good and it hurts your family more than it does anything. I want to help and that is exactly what i plan to do!

First of all you need to understand what drugs your child has acquired. Do they seem lazy, spaced out or perhaps paranoid? Do they seem alert, full of energy or are they extremely talkative? Do they appear to be having trouble staying awake or focusing on something, maybe when they talk it doesn't make sense and they speak with a slight slur. If your child is acting lazy, eating more than normal and acting spaced out or paranoid then you might consider that they are smoking pot. Most kids between the ages of 12 and 17 experiment with pot and about half of them continue to use it after that. If your child seems really alert and is energetic or just talking non-stop then he or she may either be on speed or select pain killers. Check their pupils, are they small? If so then its POSSIBLE that they are in fact on speed or pain killers. Sometimes your eyes can play tricks on those who view you, so its not always a for sure thing when you check their eyes. If the pupils are huge and they seem to be acting a little crazy or maybe a lot crazy then you may want to consider that they have taken some LSD or maybe just drank some cough syrup and are "Robo Tripping". The major thing you need to look for in my opinion is signs of pills, have you found random clean plates in their bedroom? Maybe some straws or rolled up paper or money? Have you found white powder on anything or maybe powder of a different color? The main colors to look for are yellow, blue, white, pink and orange. Look around for anything like hypodermic needles or cups of water and pieces of rolled up cigarette filters or cotton. If you find something or you just simply notice that your child is passing out mid-conversation then you need to be smart about it. You need to approach them with caution, do not be angry and do not yell at them, you need to show sympathy and concern. When i was a drug addict i was terrified that my girlfriend and mother would find out what i have been up to and so even when i had hit rock bottom and was in the grips of addiction i never once came to them with my problem. What i went through doesn't have to be everyone elses story. If you approach them and voice your concern, tell them what they are doing to themselves, show them examples and explain how it will ruin their life. Tell them about the diseases you can get from drug use, tell them about the risks of finding bad "Junk". They need to see that your really care and that this isn't some kind of nazi parent thing and that you are not just trying to make them "Conform". They need to see you as as a friend and not a mother or father, they need you to listen and understand. If they are not addicts and they just use drugs when out and about with friends, you may need to actually cut off all ties to those friends for them. Maybe show him or her what those types of people end up being as adults. Show them poverty, show them how drugs have destroyed lives and bank accounts world wild. They need to see what they are getting into, they need to know the REAL dangers of drug use. Forget everything you seen on tv and forget whatever you learned in D.A.R.E! What you need to remember is that they are not wanting to hear that same old crap that they hear in school. They need to hear from experience, they need to see that what they are doing is actually wrong and that it will never make them a productive person. If i had someone step in when i was in school and show me the error of my ways i would have been better off. I am covered in tattoos, i have piercings and i have a criminal record now. I can't find a good job to save my life and i struggle everyday to keep my little family together. I have done a lot of bad things and i have chosen drugs over my flesh and blood. Don't let your kids end up like me, be proactive, step in and stop this before it becomes something bigger! You have the power and you have the brains to make this happen so talk to your kids and tell them what they are doing is wrong. Keep them away from music about drugs like "Lil Wyte" or "Riga J". These "Artists" advocate drug use and it actually does make kids want to do the same thing they hear their favorite rap artist talk about. Be vigilant and be cautious, be a parent and step in and put your foot down, you are the adult here! Show them you are not some inexperienced loser, show them that you know what your talking about! Do research and monitor what they do online, keep them away from druggies and most of all, keep them close, become friends, if they trust you they are less likely to even do drugs!