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Signs of Drug Use
It can be difficult to know the signs of a normal teen from a teen that is abusing alcohol or drugs.
Teens that are troubled may decide to turn to drugs and alcohol to feel accepted by their friends, ease or alleviate uncomfortable feelings, or help them feel good or less inhibited. The good news is there are ways that parents can distinguish between normal teen behavior and a teen that is hooked on drugs. Here are some warning signs to tell if your teen may be using drugs.
A normal teen:- Quick to differ from others beliefs
- Understands the consequences of the actions they take
- Understands fairness and can notice inconsistent patterns in logic
- Is completely engrossed with their own thoughts
- Slightly isolated or withdrawn from certain social situations
- Has mild changes in disposition
- Feelings become more fervent
- Begins regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things
- Begins to question authority
- Changes in morals and values
A teen that is abusing drugs:- Confusion between who they are and what they do
- Sees the drug as him or her
- Quick to blame others for how they are feeling
- Recognizes themselves as a person who does drugs
- Has an obsession with drug culture and drug based activities
- Becomes socially aloof, shy, reserved, detached
- Extravagant changes in mood because of drugs
- Sense of self importance becomes significantly greater
- Does not recognize the reality of their own condition
- Is argumentative with authority
- Refuses to recognize authority and values they once recognized
- Can recall only selected information
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Drug Abuse Awareness
Parents need to be aware of the fact that more than half of teens in America and pre-teens are planning to try or have tried illegal drugs. If you think that statistic might not include your child, think again. You won't believe what kids living right here in Arkansas are doing with the latest drugs. Parents in our communities cannot afford to overlook this information. Our kids are often exposed to drugs, some of which many parents might not be aware of. If you haven't heard of them, chances are your kids most likely have and most drugs have serious and often deadly consequences. Even if teens do not overdose, many drugs can still eat away their organs and cause permanent damage that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. Certain drugs can eat away at your kidneys, liver and potentially your brain. I'm sure teens using drugs are not thinking about being on dialysis, in pain, on a liver transplant list, but for some teens that's exactly what's ahead for them. ArkansasMatters.com has designed information to inform parents of the signs to look for if you think your child might be using drugs and to promote awareness of the many new drugs that are easily accessible to your child.
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Be Aware of These Currently Popular Drugs
Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing problem among teens. They take OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, and more. Many teens find prescription drugs in their parents medicine cabinet. If it's in your medicine cabinet, chances are your teen might know about it. They get them from family members and friends, procure them on the Internet and even trade them at school.
Click here to learn more about prescription drug abuse >>
Salvia
The hallucinogenic herb Salvia is similar to LSD and is legal in most states. It can be bought on-line or at virtually any smoke shop. This drug can have devastating implications on the brain when inhaled. The high only lasts a few minutes but the damage it can cause to your health can last a lifetime. Salvia is also known as the "Internet" drug because many teens have documented their experiences with Salvia on the Internet.
Click here to learn more about Salvia>>
Inhaling Alcohol
If you think your teen has to drink alcohol to get high, think again. One of the latest trends isn't drinking alcohol, it's inhaling it. Teens will put dry ice into a cup, pour alcohol over it, inhale deeply through the nose and mouth, and the vapors from the alcohol travel directly to the brain. Consuming alcohol this way includes inhaling carbon dioxide from the dry ice. The resulting high is a product of the poisonous carbon dioxide from the dry ice and the alcohol. Inhaling alcohol can be very dangerous and even deadly because teens have no way of measuring the amount of alcohol they are consuming.
Uppers and Downers
Depressants, or downers, decrease the heart rate and reduce the body's breathing reflex. Stimulants, or uppers, increase the heart rate and adrenal systems. Taking too much of one or the other, or even mixing them together, may cause brain damage, stroke, organ damage, permanent changes to the brain and body or even death.
Click here to learn more about uppers and downers >>
Cheese Heroin and Strawberry Quick MethDrug dealers are offering a "sweet" deal when it comes to selling drugs to teens and pre-teens. By marketing their products with fruity flavors, drug dealers are attempting to make narcotics more appealing to children. Cheese heroin is a mixture of Tylenol PM and heroin and Strawberry Quick is the street name for methamphetamine mixed with strawberry flavoring that minimizes the acidic taste of the drug.
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a highly-addictive stimulant. These days many teens are determined to learn how to make methamphetamine at home and parents here in Arkansas might be amazed to learn how easy it is. If you search the Internet, you can easily find millions of results on how to make methamphetamine. Meth has a toxic effect on the central nervous system and vital organs and can cause serious damage to your teen's health or even result in death.
Click here to learn more about methamphetamine >>
Inhalants
Inhalants are common products and are very easy for teens to acquire. Some popular inhalants include petrol (gasoline), glue (adhesives), paint and paint thinners, hair spray, cleaning fluid, gas from lighters or barbecues (butane), nail polish remover, felt pens, cooking spray, typewriter correction fluid, computer cleaner, oven cleaners and nitrous oxide. Inhalants are ordinary legal products that are safe if used properly, however some teens can use inhalants to get high. Most inhalants are depressants that slow down the brain. When people 'sniff' or 'choof', these chemicals quickly move into the lungs and into the bloodstream, around the body and to the brain. The chemicals in the blood slow down the messages in the brain and through the central nervous system producing the unusual feelings that inhalant users seek.
Skittling
The new drug of choice for some teens is skittling. It is called skittling by teens because of popular over-the-counter cold medications such as Coricidin HBP which looks like candy. These over-the-counter medications contain the cough suppressant dextromethorphan. In large doses dextromethorphan can cause hallucinations. It only costs a few dollars, it is not illegal to posses, and chances are your teen is probably aware of it. Teens that are involved in skittling run the risk of coma, a dangerous decrease in breathing, and even seizures. There is no lingering smell so many teens feel they can hide skittling from their parents. Unfortunately teens can learn all about skittling from friends or on the Internet. Many parents have never heard of this rapidly growing problem but chances are your teenager has. There are signs of skittling that parents should be aware of. Look for cold medication in backpacks, your teenager's bedroom, or purses. Other signs include medication missing from your medicine cabinet or any changes in mood, behavior, or appearance.
Alcohol Soaked Tampons
Alcohol enters the bloodstream faster through mainlining. Mainlining occurs when the alcohol is absorbed directly in the vagina or anus. It's just like injecting alcohol directly into the bloodstream. The potential consequences are devastating and the effects are instantaneous. When a teenager mainlines alcohol, there is no way of knowing how many "drinks" they have had or correctly determine the alcohol intake levels, which can be especially dangerous to their health, when driving, or interacting with others. Alcohol soaked tampons will also cause bacterial and yeast infections, destroy the vagina's delicate balance and can crack and burn the vaginal tissue.
Anal Beer Bongs
When orally consumed, alcohol travels through the stomach, passes into the bloodstream and is filtered through the liver, which is the body's natural detoxification system. When that system is bypassed, the alcohol is absorbed directly into the body and can have dire and deadly consequences.
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