Comments on: How to Determine if Your Child Is Using Drugs

on 6/19/2008 trying to set roadblocks up only makes a teen feel the need to rebel. Get off their back and let them learn essential life lessons on their own if they've gotten to their later teen years.

on 11/30/2007 Be aware that all the warning signs listed here (with the exception of money disappearing) are also symptoms of clinical depression. Rule that out first before you start accusing.

on 1/20/2007 First time I smoked pot was 2 days after I was accussed by my parents of drug usage when I was 14, seriously, if you are not sure your kids are doing drugs don't accuse or test them, because the first thing a teen will think is to get back at you and start doing them.

on 1/9/2007 little kitkat...someday you will understand why parents worry so about their children with everything that is going on out there...if they don't search and ask questions...they are not doing their job in trying to protect you!!!!

on 12/30/2006 i think parents should be less involved if u search ur childs room u are just rude, and its equal to a cop searching ur house with or with out a warrent! im a 15 year old girl and half the stuff that is posted isnt true the only way to find out is to ask and only ask once

on 10/23/2006 Its hard to tell....Its better to have an honest relationship.

on 8/8/2006 Don't scream and yell at your kid for using the stuff, it's a very bad approach. It makes your kids feel bad and they will go out and use more, thinking that they don't love you. If you ground for very large periods of time, you are just going to have even an angrier teenager who will skip class and say "It's because I'm grounded." Instead, enforce an earlier curfew and have the child check in with you. Get to know who their friends are and keep an eye on them and make sure the problem doesn't turn into something bigger.

on 1/9/2008 When it comes to drugs, kids are a lot smarter than you think. Keep in mind, teenagers today were raised on anti drug programs. So if they do decide to smoke marijuana, they most likely spent a lot of time researching and making their choice.

So if you find your son or daughter smoking pot, you really have nothing to worry about, make sure they understand it's their choice to be responsible. As long as it doesn't effect (or affect) their lives, there really is nothing to worry about.

They only can be young once, so don't make them do only family oriented activities, let them have fun, but at the same time, they don't want to spend it in rehabilitation.

Alcohol is a different story, drinking can lead to carelessness and poor decisions, including drunk driving. I would much rather have my child smoke marijuana than drink alcohol.

on 7/3/2006 I have to disagree with those who say that drug testing is not accurate. Just like anything else, you need to know what you are buying. I have been doing drug testing for 17 years and have not had any problems. With the right testing method and the correct collection process they are very accurate 95-98%.

I have been doing family/kid testing for years without a problem. And for those who say that the child can take something, test for the adulterants and if they are in the body your child is trying to hide something.

Know what you buy.

on 1/9/2008 Urine and hair tests are not very accurate. Hair tests cannot tell you if your child has been smoking, it can tell you if your child has been around or exposed to it. Urine tests can easily be beaten by drinking plenty of water or taking a simple pill. The only way to truly catch your teen is by catching them doing it or by finding the substance itself.

Are there things disappearing around the house? such as: soda cans, lightbulbs, tin foil, wrench sockets? These can, and most likely are, being used to smoke pot. If your kids are doing marijuana, it might not be such a bad thing as most parents think. Besides its being illegal, it does help with stress and kids that have a hard time focusing; like kids with ADD find it a lot easier to focus.

I recently started smoking pot. I was a failing student about to get kicked out of school for fighting and all kinds of stuff. But now I'm at the top of my class. Weed really helped me focus and I worked harder than every one at my school.

Here's a tip: when you do catch your kids doing drugs, don't freak out. It makes them mad, and I can tell you this; when you make a teen mad the one thing on their mind is to get even. So take it easy on your kids, OK.

on 3/28/2006 This depends on your relationship with your child and everything that leads up until the point where you suspect something. The best option, is to maintain an open relationship and let them know that it's okay to try things, and that they can always talk to you about it. They may not want to at first, but you need to let them understand that it's not about the drugs, but that you don't want to lose them. Ease into it, don't be so terribly negative to it at first, because then they'll never want to bring it up. In the end, don't make it your goal to convince them to stop, because unless you're really cunning, it won't work. Make it your goal to help them to understand what they're doing. both physically and mentally.

on 3/15/2006 Before getting your knickers in a twist about your kid "rockin' the ganj" as they say, think before you accuse. It is more effective for a child to experience something and learn from his or her mistakes. I am not suggesting that you let your child do lines of cocaine on the living room table but let them decide for themselves. Teenage years can be confusing and the one think kids want is independence and to be considered a responsible adult. If you do not consider your child a responsible person for smoking marijuana then you are probably overreacting. Kids spend all day listening to people tell them what to do. If you suspect your child of smoking marijuana, I suggest you sit him or her down and tell them to be responsible and that you have faith in their good judgment not to get into a serious drug problem. Marijuana is not a serious drug nor is the smoking of it a serious matter. Remember your childhood days and how you would have reacted to your parents if they had overreacted on such a matter.

on 2/21/2006 Anyone could use drugs, from your valedictorian to your high school drop out. The thing that you should be looking for is not whether or not the kid is using drugs, but whether or not it has drastically affected the child's life. When I started using marijuana in high school, my grades drastically increased, not because it made me smarter, or anything of the sort, but because I had less stress, and felt relaxed even through difficult periods. Use is not necessarily bad, but abuse is.

on 1/18/2006 Don't do the intrusive tests like urine or hair, they aren't reliable. Try to find suspected substances in your child's room, like small pills bottles, leaves, powders, etc. Buy a substance test kit that can give you good results and test the substance.
As already said, don't accuse your child unless you are 100% sure!

on 12/8/2005 A teenager is most likely going to do drugs, assure them that if they ever need help for any reason to call you. Tell them you don't approve of drinking or drug use. But, also let them know if they ever get into trouble, or everyones drinking and they are driving, that they can call you. Because no matter how high or how drunk they are, it is not worth dying over.