Common Signs Your Teen Might Need Help
When children start spinning out of control, they usually exhibit many signs that parents must watch out for. Unfortunately, many parents often write off these signs as normal adolescent behavior. As a result, they don’t realize that their child is into drugs or other at-risk behavior until it is too late. So, how can you, as a parent, know whether or not your child is in danger? Simple … by understanding that every child is in danger of this. The parent who says “not my kid” is the same parent who will miss all the signs that their child has started experimenting with drugs, promiscuity, illegal activities, or other troubled behavior. Often, they will stay in this state of denial until their son or daughter is in real trouble. So what should you as parents be looking for?
Dramatic changes in style of clothes, hair, music
These outward signs of rebellion should be obvious to a parent. Has your child started listening to radically different music, such as heavy metal or punk rock? Is your kid coloring their hair some weird color just to fit in? Is your child dressing down to fit in with friends at school? These are outward signs that your child is succumbing to negative peer pressure.
Hanging out with a bad crowd (a different crowd than they used to)
Your child might try to tell you that his friends are cool kids. But you need to closely examine the kinds of kids your child is hanging out with. Chances are, how these friends behave is how your child behaves when you’re not around. Do some of your child’s friends smoke cigarettes or pot? If so, odds are your child is smoking, too. Your child’s friends are like a mirror for your son or daughter — they look at themselves in that mirror and try to conform to what they see there. One of the best ways to get a good idea of what your child is like is to look at their closest friends.
Tardiness and/or truancies
You need to stay in touch with your child’s school. Never assume that his school will contact you if there is a problem. If your child is getting into drugs, odds are he will start ditching class occasionally. Kids who do this tend to take off during the middle of school and get stoned somewhere near the campus. Don’t assume that the school will let you know about this. You must also realize that kids are great at covering up this behavior. Every kid knows how to forge his parent’s signature — no joke. Call your child’s school from time to time and ask about your child’s attendance record. You need to take the initiative here!
Isolating from family
Does your child act distant? Does he constantly want to be with friends, away from home? When you ask your child what he has been up to, does your child give some vague reply? Does your child want to eat in his room all the time instead of with the family? Children are smart – they know that the easiest lie to tell is the one they can avoid having to tell. If your child doesn’t tell you what he has been up to, there’s a good chance he is hiding something.
Changes in attitude and personality
Does it seem like your child is suddenly a completely different person with a new personality that you don’t like one bit? Has your child suddenly developed a tough-guy attitude? If your child is experimenting with at-risk behavior, there’s a good chance you’ll see these kinds of attitude changes. Often, parents see this as normal teenage behavior and write it off. Don’t make this mistake . . . otherwise you might overlook one of the most obvious signs.
Changes in sleep patterns
These kinds of changes should be fairly obvious. Does your child stay up late (or even all night) frequently, refusing to get up in the morning at a decent time? Does your child sleep way too much or way too little? If your child isn’t sleeping much, there’s a good chance he is using drugs. This is a frequent effect of using stimulants.
Excessive use of foul or obscene language
Has your child suddenly developed a filthy mouth? This might indicate that your child is giving in to peer pressure from his friends and should be a warning sign to you. If your child is trying to fit in with his friends by cussing, your child will probably look for other ways to gain acceptance in his peer group.
Eating way too much or way too little
Here’s another obvious sign of drug experimentation that is often overlooked as normal teenage behavior. Does your child come home in the afternoon after hanging out with friends and devour everything in the refrigerator? If your child is smoking pot with his friends, eating a bit more food than normal wouldn’t be unusual. If your child skips several consecutive meals, then “speed” use is possible.
Paranoia – everyone is out to get me
Does your son or daughter treat everybody as if they were the enemy? Do they tend to express that everybody is out to get them? Do they seem overly paranoid to you? This is not normal teenage behavior; you need to understand that. This is one of the most common signs of drug abuse. It’s one of those signs you don’t have to look hard to see.
Dilated eyes – red eyes – glazed eyes
Do your son’s or daughter’s eyes look funny? Are the pupils extra large or extra small? Does your child wear sunglasses even at night and say he is just trying to look cool? A person’s eyes show the effects of the drugs he is using. If you think your child is experimenting with drugs, watch his or her eyes. Are they red all the time? Glazed? If so, there’s a good chance your child is using drugs.
Sudden bursts of anger
Has your child developed a violent side? Is he prone to sudden, uncontrollable fits of anger? This doesn’t have to mean physically violent (though that is often the case), but it can also be a teen who is always yelling or threatening people. Any of these things should be a warning sign to you that your child could be experimenting with alcohol or drugs.
Lies!
If your child is experimenting with drugs, he will tell lots of lies to cover this up. Teens tend to be very good at covering things up. If you start wondering whether or not your child is telling you the truth, there is a good chance that your instincts are right. Be persistent and learn what they are trying to cover up.
Dramatic mood swings
Does your child seem happy one day, then terribly depressed the next? Do your child’s emotions go up and down constantly? This is often confused with ‘normal’ teenage behavior but can also be an obvious sign of drug abuse. Don’t simply write it off.
Excessive money spending or money disappearing
If your child keeps coming to you needing money, or if money keeps coming up missing from your purse or your wallet, you need to have a serious talk with your child. Especially if they always seem to need 20 or 50 dollars — round amounts — since that is often the price drugs cost.
