What Are Early Signs of Drug Abuse?

Question by yankee gal: What are early signs of drug abuse?
What are some early signs that a teenager will end up abusing or using drugs?

Best answer:

Answer by eldean
I have read this article last month and i guess its a nice read about your question. Hope this helps 🙂

Answer by insanew/nasty intervals ofsanity
This will take a while…but I hope this what all you are looking for! I wish you and the teenager all the best!

Early Warning Signs of Drug Abuse in Teenagers

Signs in the Home
• loss of interest in family activities
• disrespect for family rules
• withdrawal from responsibilities
• verbally or physically abusive
• sudden increase or decrease in appetite
• disappearance of valuable items or money
• not coming home on time
• not telling you where they are going
• constant excuses for behavior
• spending a lot of time in their rooms
• lies about activities
• finding the following: cigarette rolling papers,
pipes, roach clips, small glass vials, plastic
baggies, remnants of drugs (seeds, etc.)

Physical and Emotional Signs
• changes friends
• smell of alcohol or marijuana on breath or body
• unexplainable mood swings and behavior
• negative, argumentative, paranoid or confused,
destructive, anxious
• over-reacts to criticism
• acts rebellious
• sharing few if any of their personal problems
• doesn’t seem as happy as they used to be
• overly tired or hyperactive
• drastic weight loss or gain
• unhappy and depressed
• cheats, steals
• always needs money, or has excessive
amounts of money
• sloppiness in appearance

Signs at School
• sudden drop in grades
• truancy
• loss of interest in learning
• sleeping in class
• poor work performance
• not doing homework
• defiant of authority
• poor attitude towards sports or other
extracurricular activities
• reduced memory and attention span
• not informing you of teacher meetings,
open houses, etc.

Teen Drug Abuse – Warning Signs
Joe Prat Substance Abuse Expert.

Players find tobacco habit hard to shake
As part of the effort to discourage use, the Red Sox provide alternatives to their players. There are five flavors of bubble gum … Smokeless tobacco delivers a greater dose of nicotine — the addictive ingredient in tobacco — than a cigarette … Read more on Boston Globe

Prescription Addiction: What Can Be Done About Rising Rx Overdoses?
In fact, 3 in 4 drug overdose deaths involve an “opioid analgesic” pain killer such as oxycodone, hydrocodone or methadone. Opioids can exact an enormous toll on human lives. Opioid use damages families and communities, and costs U.S. employers a … Read more on Forbes

Rethinking Rehab During a New Era of Opiate Addiction
But they have said rehab can teach addicts to know the signs of relapse and recover from it more quickly. '“Relapse … According to a report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Unfortunately when relapse occurs, many deem treatment a failure … Read more on VoiceofOC