WHEN SHOULD PARENTS BECOME CONCERNED ABOUT DRUGS?

With the Weekly Journal dedicated to providing its readers with informative
and pertinent information regarding drug use among teens and adults in our
community, it seems only fitting that we address the issues from the
perspective of parents.

The purpose of these articles will to explore the issues, discuss when
parents might want to seek outside support and discuss available resources.
Not being a drug addiction expert, I consulted with the available
resources, particularly the Dave Smythe Youth Treatment Centre.

Statistically, we know that teens experiment with drugs particularly
marijuana (weed) and hashish. By the time they have started high school
most youth have been offered a joint and many have tried it. The dilemma is
when should parents be concerned, what should they do and when should they
seek professional help.

From a treatment perspective, the experts define drug use into four
categories: experimentation, regular use, harmful and dependency. Certainly
when a youth is experimenting with drugs, parents may not notice a
substantial amount of change or see behaviors that raise concerns. Even if
kids are using "weed" regularly, their day to day life may not be impacted
enough to draw attention to themselves, although suspicions might begin to
be raised.

However, by the time kids are using drugs in a harmful or dependent way, a
youth's actions are so impacted that day to day functioning has been
affected. It is usually at this point that drug services are contacted, as
school, peer and family relations as well as extracurricular activities
become insignificant to the drug use. As well, the drug of choice may
change from weed, to using drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine or others, as
kids look for an even "better" effect.

Warning signs might also include: a change in peer groups, hanging around
in places that attract large number of youth (like malls) with no agenda or
a hidden one, changes in eating or sleeping habits and aggressive hostile
behavior. As well, a substantial increase in secretive behavior, lying and
stealing, a change in personal hygiene and of course finding drug tools
might indicate a problem. The more warning signs and the younger the youth,
the higher the risks.

Some of these behaviors are normal in adolescence, but a parent will want
to observe their youth if they notice a number of warning signs, or take
action if their has drugs found on them. A parent's options depend on the
relationship they have with their youth, their comfort level in talking
about drugs and their support system.

Next week, we will explore parent's options and resources available to
youth and their families.