When it comes to drug use and abuse, there is so much at stake for your family and your children. If your radar is sounding and you are worried about your child falling in with the wrong crowd and making the wrong decisions, you are not alone.
Identifying drugs and potential drug use and abuse is no easy feat. There are many areas to identify: prescription drugs, illicit drugs, well-disguised drug paraphernalia, and even your child's social and visual cues. Finding a pill on the carpet in your child's room or hearing your child stammering about what went on at yesterday's sleepover might be your first sign of drug use. You don't want to make assumptions, but you don't want to ignore warning signs either. Continue reading to learn more about the kinds of things teens are confronted with these days, from pressure on social networks to prescription drugs.
We can help! This section of the web site will give you information to improve your drug recognition skills, covering the visual cues and signs of drug use as well as visually identifying forms and types of drugs. The information in this section can also help you and your child navigate today’s murky social waters when it comes to drugs. Keep clicking to learn what sorts of products in your home can be abused by kids to get high.
Improve Your Drug Recognition Skills
Improving your drug recognition skills is more than just learning what illegal drugs look like. To protect your children from drug abuse, Get Smart About Drugs can guide you through your home looking at potential hazards in household products.
Our interactive home shows you how to identify household products, items found in your home that, if misused, can put your children at risk for drug abuse. You can also identify areas of your home and recognize behaviors for potential signs of drug use.
Dextromethorphan (DXM) is a cough suppressor found in more than 120 over-the-counter (OTC) cold medications. DXM is abused in high doses and its abuse by teenagers and young adults is of particular concern.
You have identified potential risks in your home and your drug recognition training now has you safeguarding your home. But can you recognize suspicious powders, pills, rocks, and leaves?
You can explore drug info according to its "form" or its "type." Whether it be a pill, some powder, rocks, leaves in the bottom of a baggie, a vial or bottle of liquid, or even an empty aerosol can.
Individual drug pages include "club drugs" and "predatory drugs." Rohypnol, Ketamine, and GHB have gained notoriety as club and predatory drugs because that is where they are most frequently used, and can be used to facilitate sexual assault.
Now that you have improved your drug recognition skills, can you recognize drug paraphernalia used to facilitate drug use and conceal drugs?
As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Ignorance is not bliss in these matters.
Ready for a Drug Recognition Evaluation?
- How much do you know about what drugs teens are abusing and where they’re getting them?
- Can you spot some of the signs that a teen may be abusing drugs?
Take this quiz to test your knowledge.