EXPERTS: SUBSTANCE ABUSE SIGNS VARY

LEOMINSTER -- The signs a teenager may be struggling from drug or
alcohol abuse may be as obvious as some pipes or empty beer cans in
their room.

But other factors, such as declining grades, broken curfews and bad
tempers, may also indicate more serious problems, LUK, Inc.,
substance abuse services coordinator Jerry Manney told Leominster
High School parents Tuesday.

"If you really have concerns, trust your instincts, trust your gut,"
Manney said during an LHS Parent-Teacher Organization meeting.
"(Instincts) tend to be right. They tend to be on the money."

Manney told an audience of 18 parents and LHS students about warning
signs for substance abuse.

The teens he has counseled for addiction often show declining grades
at the time they started using drugs or alcohol regularly, he said.

Parents may notice missing money or valuables, and alcohol being
taken from liquor cabinets, he said.

"That's something that people often get upset about," Manney said.
"Unfortunately, they tend to steal from family or people they know."

Alcohol and marijuana are the most commonly abused drugs among high
school-aged children, he said.

But changes in a teen's behavior, including withdrawing from old
friends and family, glorifying drug culture to get a reaction, and
sullen attitudes may just be the products of teenage stress.

"When we consider these issues, we have to ask, 'What are just the
struggles of being an adolescent?'" Manney said.

A suspension or expulsion from school for a drug or alcohol offense
is an immediate sign the teenager needs substance abuse counseling,
Manney said, even if the teen claims they were caught experimenting
for the first time.

"Generally, it's not the first time, or the second time, or the
third time," he said.

Shawn Weld, one of two full-time social workers at LHS, also spoke
at the meeting, and said the school has been monitoring substance
abuse offenses for two and a half years, and the number has steadily
decreased.

School officials said they have not determined what factors are
causing the number of reported incidents to decline, Weld said.

He said alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs are the substances
most commonly seen at LHS.

Weld works with teenagers to manage the pressure of academics, their
relationships and normal adolescent changes, he said.

"At what point does a parent intervene?" he said. "When you notice
they're not getting enough sleep at night, or they've made drastic
changes in their appearance ... You can contact a teacher and ask
how they're doing in class."

Parents can also try talking to their teens about stress management,
but should anticipate being brushed off at first, Weld advised.

"Make sure you pick a good time and know what you're going to say," he said.