How to Tell If a Kid Is Selling Drugs

Drug use can ruin a child's life, depleting him of self-confidence and the motivation to achieve his goals. Many times, if a kid is using drugs, chances are good that he's selling them as well to support his habit. Here are some ways to spot drug use in your child, and to tell whether he's dealing.

Instructions

1. Address her lack of motivation at school. Where your child was once a happy and driven student, she's now putting little or no effort into her schoolwork and homework. Talk to her about the change in her study habits to see if it's more than that she's having difficulty in one or more subjects.

2. Check out his new friends. Most times, when a child becomes involved in using and selling drugs, his circle of friends changes drastically. The crowd that you once knew and trusted is nowhere to be found, and he's spending a lot of time with kids you don't know.

3. Investigate her changing personality. While the teen years are characterized by frequent mood changes, it's not normal for your kid to be negative, cranky or aggressive most of the time. If this new personality is becoming her norm, it may indicate that she is involved in a new social scene revolving around drugs.

4. Know when a desire for privacy develops into isolation. If your child is involved with drugs, he will probably be spending the majority of his time away from family and refuse to participate in family activities. Your kid may be seeking the refuge of his room in order to avoid having to answer uncomfortable questions.

5. Question the new jacket, cell phone or MP3 player. When you've gotten to the point where you suspect drug use, there may be evidence of her further involvement by selling to support her habit. If you notice a lot of new gadgets or clothes that you know you didn't buy her, there's a good chance that she has moved on to dealing.

6. Be aware of increased phone activity, either on the house phone or his cell phone. All teenagers spend a lot of time on the phone with their friends after school, but if your child isn't one of them or the phone starts to dominate his time, you need to start asking the right questions. Check his cell phone or your caller ID for the phone numbers and ask with whom he has been spending so much time chatting.

7. Keep track of her social calendar. Make sure your kid is where she says she is. More importantly, make sure she doesn't leave the house without knowing where she's going and with whom, and make sure that you know these other kids. If strange new faces start showing up at your door, or if your child says she needs to go somewhere at odd hours, she may be making a deal.

Tips & Warnings

• Dealing is harder to discern than drug use itself; that's why it's important to know the signs and symptoms of drug use. Knowing the danger signs and then looking further to other odd behavior can help you tell whether your kid is selling drugs.

• Other drug use signs include trouble concentrating, changing sleep patterns or an increase in sleep, a drastic change in clothes, music or hair style, red and puffy eyes, sudden weight gain or loss, change in speech patterns and getting caught in lies.

• Know that the average kid is getting his drugs from a friend, a family member or an acquaintance or neighbor. Rarely is he getting his drugs from the elusive dealer beneath the bleachers or behind the school.

Resources

• Know if your kid is using or dealing drugs.