The Teenline

1. Physical Signs Of A Substance Abuse  Problem:

• Loss  of short term memory
• Trouble  stringing together simple sentences and slurred speech
• Decrease  in appetite and severe mood swings
• Poor  personal hygiene
• Active  one minute and subdued the next
• Inability  to concentrate for even short periods of time
• Dilated  pupils
• Serious  changes in facial coloring

2. Emotional Signs Of A Substance  Abuse Problem:

• Highs  and lows, a negative outlook on life
• Loss  of interest in all social activities even with close friends
• Withdrawn,  depressed, serious self-esteem issues
• Happy  one minute and angry the next
• Fighting  with family members and friends for no reason
• Sleeps  in all day after a night out with friends
• Refusal  to participate in school and family activities
• Denies  there is a substance abuse problem even after they’ve been caught with drugs in  their possession
• Promises  to get help but then doesn’t follow through with those promises

3. Academic Problems:

• Poor  marks in school when grades used to be better
• Cutting  class, ditching school all together and having a general bad attitude about  attendance
• Being  argumentative with their superiors
• A  total loss of interest in their studies and anything school related

4. Problems With Family, Friends And  Relationships:

• Is  absent for family functions
• Doesn’t  make eye contact or engage at all with siblings
• Spends  most of his or her time in their room
• Is  at home less and less
• Has  a whole new set of friends and doesn’t talk to their old friends at all
• Flakes  out on plans all the time

5. Attitude At After School Job:

• A  no show for scheduled shifts or habitually late
• Has  an attitude toward authority at work, refuses to participate
• Argues  with customers, withdrawn
• Blows  through paychecks with nothing to show for it

6. Problems With The Law:

• Never  had a problem with the law before but now is constantly in trouble
• The  police have visited the home on more than one occasion
• Lies  about where they’ve been
• Hangs  out with known trouble makers
• Has  been accused of shoplifting and petty theft crimes

7. Caught With Drugs But Still Denies  An Abuse Problem:

• Comes  home smelling like cigarettes and marijuana
• Has  been caught with cigarettes and other drug paraphernalia
• Sleeps  out at friend’s houses only to come home looking exhausted
• Refuses  to discuss possible drug use with close family or relatives
• Money,  credit cards and alcohol go missing but teen denies taking them
• Teen  shows up wasted or high but continues to deny said drug or alcohol abuse and  gets overly hostile when confronted
• displays  scary behavior at times

If  your teen displays only one or two of these signs that does not mean that he or  she is on drugs. If your teen displays many of these signs don’t wait for  things to continue to escalate, call for help so you can get an evaluation of your teen. Getting behind the problem early can make all the  difference in putting an end to your teens substance abuse problem. Don’t wait  until it’s too late; act now.