It can be difficult to separate some of the typical adolescent behavior from the drug-induced behavior, but parents should consider the following behavior as suspect:

-Is your child becoming more irritable, secretive, hostile, depressed or withdrawn?

-Is your child becoming less responsible, not doing chores, coming home late, tardy at school, not completing homework?

-Is your child changing friends, dress, interests, and refusing to talk to you about these changes?

-Is your child showing thought patterns or ideas that seem out of order, memory and concentration difficulties, and a lack of interest in school and activities he or she once enjoyed?

-Is your child’s behavior becoming more intolerable? Does he or she demand the right to drink alcohol, refuse to put more time toward studies, insist that teachers are unfair, and being caught in half-truths?

-Is your child becoming drug dependent? Is he or she taking money from family members, lying chronically, caught shoplifting, or with drugs or drug paraphernalia?

If you have suspicions, confront your child and be prepared to take serious measures to prevent the severe consequences of adolescent substance abuse. Do not put it off to “normal” teenage experimentation. Please contact Tom Letson,  Student Assistance Coordinator, for more information.