Has your teen been lying?
/IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE that your child could be using drugs. Many teens experiment with drugs and you need to know how to recognize the signs that they may be experiencing problems. Drugs can take hold of teenagers causing behavioural and personality changes - this may result in your teen starting to lie. Have you heard any of these before?
“Other people were smoking marijuana. I must have inhaled some by accident.”
"My friend had a cold, so I gave him our bottle of cough medicine."
“I was the only one at the party who wasn’t drinking or using drugs, but they arrested all of us.”
“I ate a poppy seed muffin. That must be why the drug test came back positive.”
A group of researchers wanted to know how common it is for teens to lie about drugs. They asked 400 teenagers if they used cocaine, then took hair samples to test for traces of the drug. Even though they knew their answers were private, and that the drug test would prove them right or wrong, most teens who had cocaine in their systems denied using it. The hair samples revealed drug use 52 times more often than the teens admitted. (webmd.com)
If your child is lying about using drugs or alcohol, looking the other way is a dangerous mistake. Study after study shows that parents’ involvement plays an important role in preventing adolescent drug use. And the earlier problem is addressed, the better your chances of containing potential damage.
Here are six things you can do as a parent:
Trust your instinct
Educate yourself on the effects of drug use
Watch out for changes in behaviour, mood, hygiene, concerns at school/work, etc.
Don’t take it personally - know that you have made the choice to face the issue
Work with CCND to confirm drugs are present in the home/school/work
Together with the support of CCND make a plan to move forward
Begin to rebuild trust - know this will take time
