How to know if your child is using drugs?

As parents, we must learn to identify whether our children's behavioral changes correspond to their development or respond to something else, such as drug use, for example. Learn how to recognize this behavior.

Nowadays, drugs are one of the biggest concerns of parents. Knowing if your child is using drugs is vital to seek help on time .

The figures that are handled annually are alarming. Although it has been generalized that it is "normal" that in these times the young person "tries" everything and is not an addict. 

The parents of youth with some kind of addiction say they recognize the problem early is not easy, because the signals are unclear . Adolescence is a stage of rebellion in which the young person can behave in an unusual way and not be using drugs. 

Young people between 11 and 21 years of age often have a distorted perception of risk . This explains why they tend to assume behaviors that, after some time, they may regret.

Unbridled adolescence and drugs

Adolescents by definition are bold and rebellious. They experience an age full of difficult changes to face.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse in the United States identifies 5 factors that invite adolescents to enter the world of drugs:

• To fit into a group,  try to stay on "the same wave" as your friends .
• It makes them feel good. Drugs produce sensations of pleasure in the brain.
• It makes them feel better. Adolescence is linked to moments of depression and stress, which are relieved by drugs.
• Compete better Certain stimulant drugs can make them feel they perform better socially. in sports activities and even academically.
• To experiment. Adolescents seek new sensations, even more if they involve certain risks.

If  there is no healthy channel of family communication through which people speak openly about all kinds of issues, it can be more complicated to act on time and save the young person from this terrible scourge .

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Drugs: an underestimated enemy

Many  teenagers  and parents see drug use as a simple practice that they will later leave.

They do not assume the risk that they could be submerged in it for life , causing serious problems in their personal and professional life, as well as in their health in general.

Young people do not measure the extent to which experimenting with drugs can become a serious problem .

Parents, on the other hand, refuse to accept that our child is not exempt from this type of experience. Therefore, we tend not to prepare, not knowing how to act if this happens.

The first thing we must do is determine if the irreverent attitudes of our child are due to the hormonal changes of their age or not.

It is fundamental to see a little beyond the difficult stage in which they find themselves and to verify if the strange behavior is due to the consumption of drugs .

Behaviors to consider

Those young people who are using drugs logically will try to hide it. Therefore, it is crucial that you pay attention to any alteration of behavior, however insignificant it may seem.

1. Pay attention to smells

Drugs like  cigarettes or tobacco have strong smells that stick to the people who consume them , as well as their clothes.

The strategy used by consumers to avoid being discovered is to repeatedly apply cologne, chew gum and wash their hands in an exaggerated manner.

2. Look at your eyes

The eyes are very clear indicators of addictions .

Each drug in particular has diverse effects. For example, cannabis causes reddening of the eyes and sleepy look. Contrarily, cocaine and ecstasy produce dilation of the pupils, with which the look becomes very open.

3. Presents  excessive i rritabilidad

Hormonal changes in females and males often cause mood swings, but those generated by drugs are often exaggerated in comparison.

The boys are irritable and aggressive especially when they have not consumed , because the body asks for the drug.

They become lonely and tend to get away especially from parents , as they can  consume without giving explanations.

4. Take medications from your medicine cabinet

When they start to consume drugs they usually experiment with various drugs, because of what is "just a test".

The family kit is usually a source of drugs at no cost to them . Diazepam or the popular cough syrups are the most recommended by those who have already tried them and try to induce others.

Therefore, if some medications disappear from your home it is time to have a conversation.

5. He has become irresponsible

One of the most devastating effects of addictions is the bad habit of abandoning everything and joining in leisure.

The young consumer leaves aside his studies and everything that requires commitment . Low school performance and refrains from engaging with tasks that previously enjoyed.

General evaluation

Changes in the behavior of a child who uses drugs is so obvious to those parents who know them, who will suspect at the minute .

Depending on the type of drugs (stimulants or relaxants) they will have certain evidences. 

If you walk and talk very fast, you may consume amphetamines. Another sign is that if you spend two days without sleep, it is very likely that you ingest cocaine. But if you are very tired and slow you may be using cannabis.

The points indicated are not indicators, by themselves, that the young person is addicted. However, the more changes you see, the more likely you are to use drugs . 

The important thing is to be alert, to be very aware of our children, to be aware of what they do, where they are going, who their friends are, with whom they relate.

Daily and effective communication is the basis to stay close to them and prevent situations such as addictions .