Surveys show that around 2.08 million teenagers used drugs in the first couple of months of 2023. So it shouldn’t be surprising that as parents, you need to be worried about your teen kid using cannabis or vaping nicotine too. Do you ever fear that your teenager will start consuming drugs constantly and you wouldn’t find out? Let addiction intervention services guide parents of teenagers.
Here’s what a transformational life coach says about the warning signs of drug use in teenagers.
Different Appearance
Do you know that drug use can significantly impact a person’s appearance? Here’s how your teenager’s appearance and hygiene can change if they start using drugs from an early age.
- Looks messy than usual
- Bad hygiene like not brushing their teeth or taking regular showers
- Flushed cheeks or red face around the clock
- Smoke or different odor coming from the teenager, their mouth, or their clothes
- Black soot or trace marks on lips, around the lips, or fingertips
Fluctuated Mood
Besides impacting the physical appearance of your teenager, consuming drugs can also impact their mental and emotional health. Here are some mood-changing signs that indicate that your teenager might be consuming drugs.
- Less motivation to do anything, even their favorite hobbies
- Constantly unable to focus on anything important like studies
- Sudden periods of anger or being hostile towards other people for no reason
- Unusually relaxed or super active, even when there’s no need for it
- Long periods of silence and refusal to communicate with the people around them
- Visible symptoms of being depressed like staying in their room and not doing anything
Changed Behavior and Habits
Consuming drugs regularly can also significantly impact the habits and behavior of a teenager. If your teen child is doing any of the following things constantly, they might be consuming drugs and hiding it from you.
- Spends most of their time outside of the house and makes up excuses about where they were
- Regularly breaks curfew or sneaks out despite you setting clear rules
- Stays in their room and keeps the door locked all the time when at home
- Always has too much money or no money at all
- Constantly uses mouth freshener or chews gum to mask the smell of drugs or smoke
- Overuses perfumes or body sprays to cover up the smell of smoke on their clothes
- Leaves the house for long periods and refuses to pick up calls or answer texts
- Becoming unusually clumsy and stumbling everywhere or breaking things
- Cutting out friends and family members or making new friends that the family doesn’t know about
- Avoiding eye contact with people in authority, like parents and teachers; fidgeting and being nervous around them
- Slurring over words and sentences while talking
Think Your Teenager is Doing Drugs? Let a Life Coach in Tampa Intervene
If your teenager is showing warning signs of drug use, you need to get professional help immediately. Kathy McKnight is a family counselor in Tampa who also provides addiction intervention services. She uses compassion and empathy to deduce warning signs of drug use and motivates your teenager to take the first step toward quitting drugs.
Get in touch with this certified transformational life coach in Florida and help your teen kid stay away from drugs.