Teen Drug Abuse

Illicit drug use is beginning to make a comeback among American young people, say researchers at the University of Michigan who have studied the topic. They note a sharp rise in marijuana use and significant increases in the number of teenagers using LSD, stimulants, and inhalants. One of the researchers also notes that the drug problem goes across race, ethnicity, gender, and geographical region. It's obvious that no one—parent or teenager—can afford to ignore this problem.

If your teen is using drugs, common signs to watch for include:

• Marked changed in behavior or friends
• Noticeable lack of interest in activities that used to provide pleasure, interest, or fun
• Sleeping too little (or too much)
• Changes in eating habits
• Combativeness or emotional distancing from family or friends
• Frequent sickness or signs of ill health such as nausea, headaches, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, runny nose, and hangovers
• Problems at school
• Items of value missing around the house, indicating that your teen may be selling or pawning them to buy drugs

While marijuana is the most commonly used drug, some teens have also gotten into hallucinogens like PCP, LSD, cocaine, crack, and inhalants. In addition, Ritalin, commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder, has now made its way into the drug scene where kids use it to excess to get high.

The Legacy of Woodstock: “What Did You Do, Dad?”

“But Dad, you grew up in the '60s and went to Woodstock. Didn't everybody do drugs then?”

Many parents today are being confronted with questions about their past. Even if you did try or use drugs while growing up, it is still possible to convey an anti-drug message to your teen.

If you have fond memories of those days and the life you led, be certain not to talk too fondly of it or glamorize it.

If you're uncomfortable “telling all,” you could answer most questions your teen poses completely by talking about your friends and providing your current opinion. “Back then a lot of people used pot, and we knew very little about it. This was before the very serious dangers of smoking were well known, and marijuana was generally viewed as just another form of tobacco.”

Remember, too, that there is often a very big difference between experimenting with something once or twice and using it regularly, and you could tell this to your teen. “Yes, I tried pot a couple of times because my friends were doing it, but I stopped because I decided it wasn't a good thing to do.”

Are you giving your teen permission to try drugs because you did? No. You might follow up with a comment that stresses belief in your child: “Now that we know what we do about each of these substances, I don't want you trying them. You are too valuable, and drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes don't solve anything—they don't make you popular, they won't help you grow up, and they certainly don't help your body or mind. You have too much to lose to mess around with that stuff.”

Weed: Still Going Strong

If your teen is using drugs, chances are he's smoking marijuana. Marijuana is often called the “gateway” drug because it may lead people to other drugs as well. (A 1994 study by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that 43 percent of teens who use pot by age 18 move on to cocaine.)

Today, marijuana is openly promoted at concerts, on CDs, even on clothes—sending teens a message of social acceptance that alarms the experts. The government's National Household Survey on Drug Abuse last September found that the number of teens who smoked pot nearly doubled between 1992 and 1994.

While some parents dismiss pot-smoking as a “stage” teens go through, there are some facts you ought to know:

• Age of use is down. In the 1992 Adolescent Drug Survey, the average age of first-time marijuana users dropped to between 13 and 15 from 14–17 the year before.
• During the '60s and '70s, not much was known about the effects of marijuana. Now scientists have found that marijuana reduces coordination; slows reflexes; interferes with the ability to measure distance, speed, and time; and disrupts concentration and short-term memory. There are also cancer risks.
• Quantity is up. Kids today smoke larger amounts than their parents' generation did.
• Potency is up. The pot teens smoke today is stronger than what was around in the '60s, containing at least double quantities of THC (the primary psychoactive chemical).

Inhalants: The Accessible High

Here's a new one: your kid may be getting high on a drug you keep right in your own home—an inhalant, like your paint thinner or spray fabric protector.

According to studies conducted by the University of Michigan, one in five eighth graders has sniffed inhalants in their life. Inhalants are particularly popular among young adolescents, and inhalant use decreases slightly as students get older and move on to hard drugs, according to the study.

Parents are usually totally oblivious to the problem of inhalants, and they are totally available to teens. One teen describes going around the house looking for all the products that had “do not inhale” warning labels; another talked of taking a spray with her to school and spraying and sniffing her sweater regularly. (It took months before anyone caught on, and it was her friends who eventually pointed out to her that she had a problem.)

Distressingly, inhalants are not child's play. According to the American Council for Drug Education, sniffing certain chemical products—even just one time—can lead to brain damage, kidney failure, loss of concentration, and death.

Here are some signs to watch for in your teen:

• Chemical smell
• Drunken appearance
• Flu-like symptoms (headache, nausea, runny nose)
• Lack of attention or difficulty staying awake
• Paraphernalia (soda cans, rags, plastic bags) that smell like chemicals
• Weight loss
• Rash or sores around the mouth

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Parenting a Teenager © 1996 by Kate Kelly. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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