Substance Abuse Assessments
How can I tell if my child
is using drugs or alcohol?
This is a difficult question when you don't know what you are looking for. We’ve included a list of behavioral signs and symptoms below. Still, it can be hard to discriminate between typical teenage behavior and drug-induced behavior.
A "yes" to the questions below can be a reason for greater concern.
Please feel free to
schedule a call if you need help placing your concerns in context and determining next steps.
Personality Problems
Does the child's personality seem to be changing?
Do you observe any of these signs?
- Irritability
- Less affectionate
- Secretive
- Unpredictable
- Hostility
- Depression
- Uncooperative
- Apathy
- Withdrawn
- Easily provoked, and/or oversensitive?
Reluctant Responsibility
Is the child becoming less responsible? Does the child show the following:
- not doing chores
- coming home late
- tardy to school
- forgetful of family occasions (like birthdays)
- becoming more of a "slob" in their room
- not completing homework
Friends and Trends
Do you notice that your child recently has different friends, fashions, or interests?
- Does the child change to conform to a new group of friends?
- Did the child adopt the language, clothing, or hair styles of new friends?
- Does your child hesitate to speak to you about friends or friends' parents?
- Does your child show a new and intense interest in hard rock or heavy metal music and concerts?
- Is your child less interested in school, sports, and other hobbies?
- Is your child demanding more privacy and permission to stay out later at night?
Communication Concerns
Is it more difficult to communicate with your child?
Are you experiencing the following:
- Is it hard to have a conversation with your child?
- Does your child refuse to discuss details of his/her friendship group?
- Does your child refuse to discuss "drug issues" and become defensive when negative effects of drugs are discussed, strongly defending occasional or experimental use of drugs by peers?
Does your child insist that adults are hassling him/her?
Brain Drain or Physical Pain
Has your child begun to show signs of physical or mental deterioration? Has your child exhibited disorderly or illogical thinking, with mixed-up ideas or thoughts? For example:
- ignoring matters of personal hygiene
- developing heightened sensitivity to touch, smell, and taste
- displaying a noticeable increase or decrease in appetite
- losing the ability to blush
- appears to think slower
- changing sleep patterns
- weight loss
- failing at times to maintain balance
- frequently getting lost or disoriented
- showing surprise upon learning the correct time of day
- difficulty or failing to become motivated to achieve goals
Common Behaviors and Symptoms
The following behaviors and symptoms may be exhibited sporadically or develop slowly over a period of a few months, one summer, or a whole year or more. Ask about the objective evidence of drug use.
Perturbing Patterns
Many teens are able to mask and/or manipulate their way through the early stages of drug abuse, hiding or explaining away the behaviors on these checklists. If the child's involvement with drugs becomes greater, disturbing behavior patterns which are more obvious, and intense, will emerge.
A teen will show the following as drug abuse progresses:
- demanding the right to drink alcohol
- grades drop but will refuse to spend more time studying
- insist that the teachers are "unfair"
- become extremely irritable
- use bad language without regard to others present
- come home late with alcohol on breath
- claim people are telling "lies" about him/her
- claim to have never even experimented with any drugs
- have impaired memory, either short-term or long-term
- avoid eating with or spending time with family
- act very secretively on the telephone
- spend more money than should be available from allowance/job
- will lie and deny drug involvement even if caught by you with drugs or drug paraphernalia
- become careless about hiding drugs
- steal money or other items from you, home or friends
- engage in criminal activities
- attempt suicide
Eyewitnessing Evidence
In addition to watching for behavioral changes, any of the following bits of physical evidence may suggest that drugs are being abused:
- if the child smokes cigarettes, he is now rolling his own
- paper clips, hairpins, or tweezers, sometimes with blackened ends, show up in odd places around the house
- ash or tobacco-like residue appears in clothing or around the house
- pills are missing from the medicine cabinet
- the house smells at times pungent and smokey, or like paint thinner
- the child has very red-rimmed, bloodshot, or watery eyes, pupils are dilated or constricted
- the child has a runny nose but no cold
- you notice involuntary eye movements
- the child starts using Visine, room deodorizers, or incense
- there are unexplained liquor bottles in the trash
Are any of the following left about or discovered in clothing drawers?
- pipes
- lighters or matches
- tiny bottles or small boxes or containers
- baggies or little bits of aluminum foil
- rolling papers
- peculiar cigarette butts
- small seeds
- crushed brown or green leaves
- traces of white or off-white powder
- small mirrors
- razor blades
- straws, rolled-up bills, or other tube-like devices glass tubing or small vessels
Should a school evaluation be part of the consideration?
School is a key place to consult for an on-going assessment of a child's behavior. School guidance counselors, teachers, and principals can give you a look at your teenager from a perspective that you cannot see.
After you have completed this checklist, you may wish to view the Confronting Your Teen page.
Substance Abuse Assessment
Use this self-scoring tool to help determine if your child is at risk for a drug and/or alcohol problems.
- Have friends or neighbors ever expressed concern about your child's drinking, drug use, or behavior?
- Have you ever lost a job or missed going to work because of your child's drinking, drug use, or behavior?
- Have you ever picked your child up late at night and found he/she was intoxicated or under the influence?
- Have you ever not done things you needed to do because of your child's drinking, drug use, or behavior?
- Does the thought of your child going out with friends at night terrify you?
- Do you have family members who use alcohol and/or other drugs?
- Do you know family members who have participated in AA or NA?
- Have you ever been in a hospital emergency room with your child because he/she was under the influence of alcohol or other drugs?
- Have you ever had contact with the police or court system as a result of your child's behavior?
- Have you ever stayed up all night long waiting for your child to come home or call, or did you go out trying to find him/her?
- Have you ever had to give your child first aid or seek medical attention because he/she was in a physical fight while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs?
- Have you ever gone for professional help because of your child's drinking or drug use?
- Have you ever felt that your child should cut down his/her alcohol use or other drug use?
- Have people annoyed you by criticizing how you raise your teenager?
- Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your child's use of alcohol or other drugs?
- Have you ever had a drink in the morning to steady your nerves because of your child's behavior?
Adapted from the MAST (Michigan Alcohol Screening Test); the CAGE; and the McLean Hospital Adolescent Evaluation Questionnaire.
Once you've completed one or more assessments, the following 3-step guide will help parents get direction for them and their children:
1. View our Frequently Asked Questions by parents who have been there and the answers.
2. Tell us about yourself and your child and ask us a question that our experts will answer within 48 hours.
3. Ask our experts follow-up questions and receive answers that can guide you.
Please note: This website and all its information in no way intends to be an all-inclusive professional diagnostic test or evaluation. It in no way infers or implies that its resources or the information received from it is to take the place of professional and/or medical advice or therapy. Anyone with concerns should seek professional advice. This questionnaire is designed to identify areas of focus for personal/family education and improvement.
After you have completed this checklist, you may wish to view the Confronting your Teen page.