How to Know If Your Teenager Is Using Drugs

Teens experience a wide range of emotions and changes in adolescence. Teens can also be very impulsive and engage in risky or dangerous behavior. The brain is developing during the adolescent years and is receiving huge amounts of information. Peer pressure is typically a major factor in a teen's decision to try drugs. Depending on the drug, your teen can even become addicted after just one try.

There are signs that you can look for if you suspect your teen is using drugs. Here are some of the signs of drug use:

Isolates himself/herself and decreases interaction with family or friends
Frequent mood changes or irritability
Pays less attention to physical appearance and hygiene
Skips school
Changes in sleep pattern
Defensive or easily angered
Loss of appetite and weight loss or gain
Dilated pupils, bloodshot eyes
Shakes, tremors
Acts withdrawn, no interest in relationships
Frequently gets in trouble

When teens use drugs, they often become irrational in their behaviors and actions. Drugs can cause your teen to become verbally abusive and aggressive. He or she could become destructive and destroy things in your home. A teen who uses drugs will withdraw from family and friends and spend a lot of time alone. A teen's sudden bad behavior in school can be a sign of drug abuse. When your teen skips classes, performs poorly and receives declining or failing grades, he or she might be using drugs. If your teen's personality has noticeably changed, this can be another sign of substance use. Depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other mental health conditions can lead a teen to try drugs as a form of escape. Life at home is another thing to consider as a potential contributor to drug use. Single parent homes, a family's socioeconomic status, and abusive homes can influence a teen's drug use. Kids who have parents with an addiction are also more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. A teen's brain continues to develop into his or her early 20s. If your teen is using drugs, data has proven that this has detrimental effects on his or her brain development. Do not shame your teenager - he or she needs help. Go to a medical professional who can help your teen with treatment and suggest resources. Provide encouragement and support your teen in the process!

Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center offers long-term, adolescent-specific residential treatment programs for recovery. Our programs involve the whole family for foundation building, life cleansing change.Call us today to start living your recovery: 662-598-4214

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How to Know If Your Teenager Is Using Drugs

There are signs that you can look for if you suspect your teen is using drugs. Here are some of the signs of drug use:

Resources for the Family

What to Expect When Your Child Goes to Treatment