Recognize drug use. Does my child use drugs?

Does my child use drugs? How do you recognize drug use? The fear of all parents. Your child comes into contact with drugs and becomes addicted. There are many drugs available. Almost every adolescent and teenager comes into contact with drugs indirectly or directly and some of them actually use drugs. How do you recognize drug use? What are the symptoms of drug use and how can you help your child not to become addicted to drugs or to kick the habit? Whether it concerns your own children or someone else’s child, it is always a sad thing when teenagers or teenagers become addicted to drugs. People outside the addict scene feel powerless. Addicts themselves no longer have control over their lives, everything soon revolves around obtaining drugs. Addiction to drugs is stronger than a good conversation. When children and young people start to experiment with drugs, the symptoms of drug use can cause parents to suspect that their son or daughter is using drugs. General symptoms include:

• changed personality
• loss of motivation for school or work
• other friends, i.e. the user prefers to hang out with other users and increasingly distances himself from friends who do not use drugs
• he/she behaves differently
• is sometimes suddenly very cheerful
• is sometimes suddenly dull and absent
• is sometimes suddenly depressed
• mood swings
• irritable (may occur)
• aggressive (can occur)
• other

These more general symptoms do not necessarily occur in every drug user, and may also relate to problems other than drug use. So it is always an indication. Each drug has its own symptoms that allow you to recognize what type of drugs someone may be using.

Which symptoms are associated with which drug?

Each drug has specific characteristics and causes certain symptoms. Some symptoms can occur with different types of drugs, such as:

• drowsiness
• cheerfulness
• energetic
• hallucinate
• appear confused
• pupils change size
• and so on

You cannot say with certainty from behavior whether someone uses drugs and which drugs someone uses, but it can be a strong indication. Well-known drugs are:

Drugs	Phenomena	Addictive, chance
Hash and weed	Red eyes, relaxed, talking a lot or lethargic and absent, fits of laughter can occur, especially in users who have not often been stoned, a lot of eating during a binge can occur,	If used regularly, it can be addictive and it can be very difficult to kick the habit successfully
Ecstasy	Excited, busy, relaxed, large pupils, energetic	Small chance of dependency
Speed	Wide pupils, energetic, talking a lot, looking pale, decreasing energy	Quickly addictive when used regularly
GHB	Intoxication, euphoric can occur, more sensitive to touch, sexually aroused more quickly, experiencing a safe feeling, deep intoxication in which everything can pass the user by	Very addictive
Cocaine	Large pupils may occur, busier than usual, more energy, going to the toilet more often, restless, irritable, looking pale, aggressiveness may occur	Addictive depending on use
Heroin	Small pupils, drooping eyes, lethargic, dreamy, absent, slower breathing	Very addictive
Crack	Mood swings, large pupils, inability to tolerate bright light, agitated behavior, shaking or trembling, difficulty speaking	Very addictive
Alcohol	Cheerful, louder than usual, more courage, shyness decreases, relaxed cheerfulness, smell of alcohol on the breath	Addictive with frequent use

Consequences of drug use

There are many types of drugs in the world. The consequences of most substances sooner or later affect daily functioning. The influence can generally be described as negative, for example:

• addiction
• can no longer learn or work
• relationships fail
• causes debt
• health issues
• passive life
• withdrawal symptoms during withdrawal
• psychological change
• neglect
• crime
• and so on

If your child uses drugs, what can you do?

If you suspect that your child is using drugs, what can you do? To start with, you can openly discuss with your child whether he/she uses drugs. Try to keep this conversation constructive. Do not blame your child for using drugs, but explain that you are concerned about it and that you cannot accept it. Try to get an idea of the drug use and which drugs your child uses. If your child is a minor, you can prohibit your child from continuing with it. This requires a firm approach with clear boundaries. Simply banning is not enough. You will have to sit down to prevent drug use. Your child needs to leave the scene where drugs are used. That means quitting friends who use drugs and not going out to places where drugs are used. So this is easier said than done

• pay attention to your child’s circle of friends. There is a good chance that a child who uses drugs will increasingly associate with other drug users, which will quickly worsen the problem
• tell your child that you suspect or have discovered that he/she is using drugs
• talk about your child’s concerns and don’t downplay them
• read a lot about drugs so you know what you’re talking about.
• Explain to your child (again) the risks of drugs.
• try to make agreements with your child, so that your child can also help determine what good agreements are to change or keep the situation under control
• if you forbid socializing with certain friends, offer an alternative way to spend your time. For example, going out with your child(ren) at the weekends
• Don’t give your child money if you fear it will be used for drugs
• seek help if your child is in danger of becoming addicted, or is unwilling or unable to stop using drugs

Recognizing addiction

Where does an addiction start? Because addiction has been kept secret for a long time, it is not always easy to determine how deeply troubled your child is. There are things that indicate addiction, such as:

• He/she behaves differently. For example, is more likely to be angry, tired, gloomy, selfish
• Lying about use, denial about addiction
• Loss of interest in normal daily things such as work, school, old friendships, family
• Circle of friends consists of people who probably use or deal in drugs
• The feeling that your child is hiding something, the feeling that you are increasingly alienated from each other
• Relationships fade or break down
• Needs more and more money and/or argues about money
• Health is getting worse. For example, your child is often suddenly unwell, drowsy, hyperactive or depressed. In the long term, weight loss can be a signal
• You have the feeling that your child is doing more and more what he/she wants, takes less and less account of others, and you no longer have an overview of what he/she is up to

Search for help

To ask for help, you can ask for more information from the GGZ, available on working days from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone number: 078 – 6111 111

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