Parents Guide To Drugs
What Parents Can Do

Can a parent tell if their child is using drugs?

• Mt. Olive Chronicle has reported that water bottles and pacifiers are the latest signs of drug abuse and that the best place to find information on raves or drugs is the Internet.
  
• Finding drugs or drug paraphernalia could be an indication of drug use, but be careful. Many illegal drugs look like many tablets or powders that you can find in any kitchen or bathroom.
• Testing your child in the privacy of your own home with a simple dip & read device is the surest way of confirming your suspicions. There is now a growing trend of testing in the home at random, in an agreed partnership between the parent and child.
• Some warning signs and symptoms of drug use may include:
  
  

  •	Decline in school work or youth club activities
  •	Changes in attendance and being unwilling to take part in school or youth group activities.
  •	Unusual outbreaks of temper, mood swings, restlessness or irritability.
  •	More time being spent away from home, possibly with new friends or with friends in older age groups.
  •	Excessive spending or borrowing of money.
  •	Stealing money or goods.
  •	Excessive tiredness without obvious cause.
  •	No interest in physical appearance.
  •	Sores or rashes, especially on the mouth or nose.
  •	Lack of appetite.
  •	Blood shot eyes.
  •	Wearing sunglasses at inappropriate times (to hide dilated or constricted pupils.)
  •	Use of drug takers' slang.
  •	Being the subject of rumors about drug taking.
  •	Having friends who use drugs.

  
  
• Many of the listed signs and symptoms are normal aspects of adolescent behavior. They could all be a result of something other than drug use.
• The same drug can produce different effects in different people. The same drug can even produce different effects in the same person at different times.
• The "signs" of drug use may be nothing more than an unconfirmed rumor and your worst imagination.
• There is no substitute for talking and listening to your child. If you think they are behaving oddly and you are worried about the possibility of drug use, say so. Listen carefully to what they have to say. Communication is the key with your children.

What to do if you really suspect your child may be using drugs:

• The first principle is to keep calm and check your facts.
• Remember, it is important to communicate with your child, rather than just trying to spot the "hidden signs and symptoms".
• If you have found a suspicious substance or object, take care not to jump to the wrong conclusions.
• You will need to inform yourself about drugs and their use. If you rush off to tell your child about the horrors or drug use, you could find that they know more about it than you do.
• Familiarize yourself with common streetnames of various drug types. This government site has a comprehensive lists of streetnames coinciding with their drug chemical(s).
• Try not to give in to fear or anger. Instead, give yourself time to think and to keep calm.

What to do if you find illegal drugs or equipment to administer drugs in the house:

• Discuss what you have found and decide together what to do, which should include your child immediately disposing of the drug which you are legally entitled to do.
• Or, deliver the drugs to a person lawfully entitled to take custody. (i.e. police officer)
• Call a Drug help and Support agency for further advice and guidance.

What to do if your child comes home stoned, high or drunk:

• Keep Calm. Anger is a natural response, but it can make things worse.
• If they are having difficulty staying awake, don't let them "sleep it off". They may be in danger of a potentially fatal overdose or chocking on their vomit - even on alcohol.
• If they are agitated or disoriented, try to calm them down.
• If they literally pass out and you cannot rouse them, you must put them into the recovery position and call an ambulance, Tel: 911 or 999. While waiting for it to arrive, monitor their breathing.
• Leave discussion about the rights and wrongs of the situation until the following day. You will be calmer and they will be sober.
• The day after is the time to discuss rules for living together. You have the right not to have your home regularly disrupted by drunken or stoned behavior.
• Most of all find out what is the underlying reason for the usage? Could it be lack of understanding, not being loved or peer pressure.

What to do if your child is using drugs and doesn't see any harm in it:

• This can be very difficult to cope with. Despite your best efforts, your child starts to use drugs. They enjoy it and if you tell them not to, they ignore you.
• Ask them to describe to you just what it is that they are getting out of their drug use.
• Make it clear to them that you want to try to understand it from their point of view.
• You will need to set clear rules if drugs are being used in your home. Depending on the drugs your child is using and their methods of use, you might want to check out if they are using in the least harmful way possible. A harm reduction approach is the one most often used by drug agencies.
• It should also be stressed that in most cases the use of drugs will be recreational. By far the largest numbers of drug user today are those using drugs like alcohol, cannabis, LSD, amphetamines and ecstasy on nights out, at parties, in clubs and so on.
• Most of these users will take good care of each other and themselves and come to no immediate harm. This is not to say that long-term damage may not result but this tends to occur with repeated and heavy use.
• Sometimes, even when your child is completely wrong, they have to learn for themselves and make their own mistakes. There is no way they are going to do something - or not do something - just on your say so.
• Try to find someone your child respects that possibly can convey your message without a treat.

Finally:

• Don't close the door of further discussion with your child, even if you cannot see eye to eye with them.
• Leave them with the understanding that you will always be ready to talk to them again. One of the big problems with drug use is that it can undermine the communication between children and their parents.
• Points of view are often different, but that doesn't mean that you cannot keep talking.

What does the Adulteration Test Do?

The adulteration test, also known as "Urine ID", is a low cost test that checks if the urine has been grossly diluted, contaminated, if addition of adulterants are present or non-human urine has been substituted. It is important to use this test if you can’t be present at the collection of specimen.

For more information, procedure of testing and interpretation of Urine ID/ Adulteration tests click here.