Do not enable your child:

I

1.  If you suspect a problem, confront them.  Ask for help.

2.  Get to know your child's friends and their parents.

3.  Know what your child is doing in their spare time.

4.  Get to "really" know your child

5.  Talk to you child about your feelings regarding drugs and alcohol.

6.  Don't let them get away with excuses.

7.  Set guidelines of what you will not allow in your home.

8.  Be a good role model.

NEED HELP?

If you need help, contact your local Drug and Alcohol Commission or your Single County Authority.  You can find them in the blue pages of your phone book.

Also, ask about parent support groups that might be available in your area.

Parents. The Anti-Drug

is a drug prevention information center providing community support for parents.

It  was created by the

 National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to equip parents with the tools they need to raise drug-free kids.

They work with the nation's leading experts in the fields of parenting and substance abuse prevention.

Signs Your Child May Be Using Drugs
 

Since mood swings and unpredictable behavior are frequent occurrences for pre-teens and teenagers, parents may find it difficult to see signs of alcohol and drug abuse. 

If your child starts to exhibit one or more of the following signs, drug abuse may be at the heart of the problem:

--Withdrawn, depressed, and tired

--Careless about personal grooming

--Hostile and uncooperative

--Frequently breaking curfews
 

--Relationships with family members are deteriorating
 

--Hanging out with a different group of friends

--Grades are dropping and school attendance is irregular
 

--Lack of interest in hobbies, sports, and other regular activities

--Eating or sleeping patterns are drastically changing

--Concentration is difficult

--Eyes are red-rimmed or exhibits prolonged cold-like symptoms.

The presence of pipes, rolling paper, prescription medication bottles, eye drops, or butane lighters in your home may indicate that your child is using drugs. Other drug paraphernalia include homemade pipes and bongs (pipes that use water as a filter) made from soda cans or plastic beverage containers. 

If you suspect your child is using drugs, you should voice your suspicions openly, avoiding direct accusations.  You should talk when he or she is sober and you are calm.  This may mean waiting until the next day if he or she comes home drunk from a party, or if their room reeks of marijuana.
 

Most Common Excuses for Using Alcohol or Marijuana:

Alcohol:

--"I was holding it for a friend."

--"Someone's drink spilled on me."

--"I just took a sip, I didn't know it had alcohol in it."

--"All my friends are doing it."

--"It's only alcohol; at least I don't smoke dope."

--"At least I don't drink and drive."

Marijuana:

--"That smell is my new incense."

--"It's only marijuana; at least I don't do hard drugs."

--"I just tried it once and I'll never do it again."

--"It's normal to experiment when you're a teenager."

--"My eyes are bothering me; I probably have allergies."

--"I'm just tired."

--"It's cool to wear sunglasses inside."

--"If you think I am bad, you should see what other kids do."

--"It's not like when you were young."

--"They made me do it."

Get Involved in Your Child's Life:

Explore what's going on in your child's emotional or social life that may influence drug use.  Ask your child questions about school and friends.   If your child is reluctant to talk, get help from your child's school guidance counselor or family physician.  If necessary, contact a local drug treatment referral and assessment center.  They may get a better response.  Getting your child to talk openly with you is an important first step to recovery.

Take time to discuss the drug problem openly with your child.  Discuss how to avoid using drugs and alcohol in the future.  It shows that your child's well-being is important to you and that you still love them, despite what they have done or are doing.  Be firm when enforcing discipline.  Give your child insight on how to regain trust, such as checking in regularly, spending evenings at home, and improving grades.

The key is to get involved early in your child's life to discuss the harmful effects of drugs before they start.  It is important that you be supportive of your child and talk frequently.  Make sure your child knows you love them.

Some Helpful Websites

Drug Facts
 

Stimulants:

Ecstasy
"XTC," "Adam," or "MDMA" 

it is popular at raves and is the most common "designer drug."  It is extremely dangerous and causes long-term brain damage.

Ritalin
"Speed" or "west coast" 

It is legally prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity  Disorder (ADD and ADHD).  But, it is illegally sold and abused as a street drug.  Some children buy or steal the drug from their classmates or siblings.

GHB
"Liquid ecstasy," "somatomax," "scoop," "Grievous Bodily Harm," "Liquid-X," "Georgia Home Boy," or "goop" 

Sometimes the user transports the drug in empty eye dropper bottles, breath freshener bottles, or hotel size shampoo bottles.

Cocaine
"Coke," "snow," "nose candy," "flake," "blow," "big-C," "lady," "white," or "snowbirds"

It is a powerfully addictive drug.  Heavy use may produce hallucinations, paranoia, aggression, insomnia, and depression.

Crack
"Rock," or "freebase"

This is a cheaper form of cocaine that may be more addicting.

Amphetamines
"Speed," "uppers," "ups," "hearts," "black beauties," "pep pills," "copilots," "bumble bees," "footballs," Benzedrine, or Dexedrine

Chronic use can induce psychosis with symptoms similar to schizophrenia, such as paranoia, visual, and auditory hallucinations.

Methamphetamine
Speed, meth, "crank," "crystal," "ice," "fire," "croak," "crypto," "white cross," or "glass"

Some users avoid sleep for 3-15 days on this drug. "Ice" is the street name for methamphetamine that is smoked.

Opiates:

Heroin
"Smack," "horse," "mud," "brown sugar," "junk," "black tar," "big H," or "dope"   Users quickly develop a tolerance to the drug and need more and more of it to get the same effects, or to even feel normal.

Rohypnol
"Roach," "roofies," "the forget pill," "rope," "ruffies," "R-2," "roofenol," "la roche," or "rib" 

Referred to as the "date rape drug," it creates a drunk feeling that lasts two to eight hours.

Special-K
"Vitamin K," "new ecstasy," "psychedelic heroin," "Ketalar," "Ketaject," "Super K," or "breakfast cereal" 

It is popular at raves, and is used by veterinarians as an anesthetic for animals.

Hallucinogens:

PCP
"Angel dust," "ozone," "rocket fuel," "peace pill," "elephant tranquilizer," or "dust." Marijuana joints can be dipped in PCP without the users knowledge.

LSD
"Acid," "microdot," "tabs," "doses," "trips," "hits," "sugar cubes"

It is the most common hallucinogen.  Tablets are often decorated with colorful designs or cartoon characters.

Mushrooms
"Shrooms," "caps," or "magic mushrooms." 

Many users purchase hallucinogenic mushroom spores by mail order.

Others:

Alcohol
Beer, Wine, Liquor, malt liquor, or "booze"

25 percent of eighth graders have admitted to being intoxicated at least once.  The numbers are alarming for Junior High and Senior High users.

Marijuana
"Weed," "pot," "refer," "grass," "dope," "ganja," "Mary-Jane," "herb," "Aunt Mary," "skunk," "boom," "kif," "gangster," "chronic," or "420" 

The average age teens first use Marijuana is 14.  It can be smoked using pipes and bongs, soda cans or plastic beverage containers.  It is being sprayed and laced with cocaine and heroin and teens are not even aware.  It is very dangerous because the user can become addicted to cocaine or heroin by smoking laced "pot."

Steroids
"Rhoids" or "juice" 

Users subject themselves to more than 70 potentially harmful side effects.

Tobacco
"Smoke," "bone," "butt," "coffin nail," or "cancer stick" 

One out of five 12th graders are daily smokers.  It is believed to be the gateway drug.