WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF DRUG USE?

Most young people who use alcohol and other drugs do so only on an occasional basis. If you come across drug "paraphernalia" - objects used for taking drugs - or you feel that your child is undergoing physical or emotional changes, these may be signs of regular or even problem drug use. However, these changes do not always mean your child is using drugs regularly or even at all. Teenagers are often very moody or may be going through a difficult phase because of other kinds of problems completely unrelated to drug use.

Be careful not to jump to conclusions since many of these changes can also be signs of normal adolescence or signs of other kinds of problems.

Changes in Mood:
Your child may be

• less caring and less involved at home
• cranky and more difficult to get along with
• moody
• secretive and uncooperative
• withdrawn, depressed

Physical Changes:
Your child may

• lose weight
• get red eyes
• have trouble talking or walking
• have difficulty sleeping or sleep long hours in the morning

Changes in Behaviour:
Your child may

• skip classes at school
• get increasingly poorer grades
• need more money (you may notice money is missing) or become aggressive about asking for money
• lose one or more jobs
• change friends, and not be willing to bring them home or talk about them
• have trouble concentrating and paying attention
• spend more time in his or her room or away from home
• change interests and hobbies
• receive late night calls or other phone calls from people you don't know

These objects may be used by your child to take drugs or to cover up the use of drugs:

Objects/Equipment used to take drugs:

• cigarette papers (for rolling joints)
• roach clips (for smoking joints)
• hash pipes (for smoking hash)
• glass water pipes (for smoking hash or crack)
• syringes (for injecting drugs)
• vial (for hash oil and crack)
• small scales (for weighing drugs)
• pills, powder, other substances that you can't identify
• pop bottles with holes in the bottom and/or pop cans with punched holes
• scorched knives

Objects/Equipment used to cover up drug use:

• eye drops (to reduce blood-shot eyes caused by smoking marihuana)
• mouth wash (to cover up breath odours)
• incense (to cover up smell of smoking drugs, such as marihuana, hash in house).