How can I tell if someone is abusing drugs?

[Susan]

I think my step son is abusing some kind of drug. He always has a strange musty smell about him. Someone told me he might be smoking crack because of that smell. It is not marijuana.

[kaylla131]

Marijuana is smoked out of a bong...marijuana is the least of worries tho so don't stress on it to much it isn't like its a really major drug like crack or heroin...I actually smoke marijuana myself to all it does is makes you feel happy and kinda hungry if you want to talk to them about it sit in a room with your dad or whoever is doing it and ask them what the bong is for and they can't deny it if that person. Does gradually give them hints throughout the day...like what is that weird smell or it smells like someone was smoking..they will start to catch on that you might know something.

[ErieKanerie]

I am twelve years old my dad and step mmom always fight, drink and from what I have heard I think this is the result of drugs. My step mom also has bipolar. Our money is always low and they can't explain. They have very bad mood swings so please will you give some advice

[007MD]

my ex is my ex due to the fact he loved crack and women more. he recently got unsupervised visits with my children; they will start their first overnight this week. i am scared my children will not be able to call me in the event of an emergency or simply to just say good night. the last few visits when they returned, their clothes had a weird smell on them, aside from fried food. it was a distinctive, plastic/ash smell. can a police dog smell their clothes if i bring them to the police station? i have recently been informed that my ex is beating his current wife and is still going out on crack binges. the suprevised visits lasted a month for an hour a day, then a judge sent the kids unprotected. please help. how can i get proof, he is the same evil drug addict he was when we divorced and protect my kids.

[drugfree49]

I know someowe that smokes ALOT of weed.  He smokes about 4 times a day.  Recently I have notice major mood swings.  He gets very angry very fast at almost anything I do.  He never has money and he always says he needs to put gas in the car.  I have a feeling that he has started using more hardcore drugs but I don't have proof.  

If anyone has any has went through this, please give advice!

Thanks

[butterfly_girl414]

My Boyfriend I have been with for four years has been acting a little diffrent these past couple of weeks. He has been treating me really bad and being hateful. He used to only smoke weed then for a while he started with pills and cocain but he got off of it.. Now that he has been acting this way I have been asking him if he is back on the cocain or even pills and I tell him to tell me the truth I'm not going to get mad I just want to know but he swears up and down he isn't doing it. He only hangs out with these two boys he has been friends with for a while but they as well do drugs and it makes me wonder if he is doing worse stuff then weed. So could anyone give me some advice as to if they think he could possiable to doing pills or cocain.

[usas1245]

well, from what i have read, it is a nerve system stipulant. it increases alertness, energy and motors activity, and sexual urges. if your ex is acting weird at all you should research the topic a little more or ask a professional.

[littlebit667]

This is a very old thread.  Go to the top of this page to the orange button...Click and start a new thread.  Cut and paste your question/request and I hope you will get the help you need.  

[usas1245]

hi. im a 14 year old guy and i suspect my dad is doing drugs. you see, when i was seven, my mom overdosed on cocaine. my dad was also on coke but did not pass. i pent seven years in foster care. my dad finally got clean and got me back and has been clean six years and used to attend n.a. meetings for ex-drug users. anyways, he recently found a girlfriend but she is in jail at the moment. he has been acting VERY odd lately locking the doors in our house and coming home late from work. and today, he came home from work an hour late. he emptied his pokets to give me lunch money for tomorrow, and a little ziploc bag fell out with what looked like weed in it. he quickly put it back up and denied dropping anything out of his pocket. and the other night, he said he was going to ge cigarettes and showed up two hours later with only a bottle of dr. pepper. i know that weed is probably 'no big deal' to some folks, but me, i know alot about it. it gets you involved with all kinds of other drugs. I just dont know what to do. I make all A's and B's at school and am currently involved in J.R.O.T.C. I dont know if he is using but if he is, i dont know why he started again when so much is going on in my life. i called my uncle, who lives far away in ft landridale florida, and he said he cant get ahold of my dad to talk to him. i told him everything thats been going on lately. he said it sounds like my dad could be using drugs. if i do find out my dad is using, i need to find a friend to take me i and hide all my valuables so my dad wont sell them for money. I just have soo much stuff i would have to move if i did go away. my school has uniform so a big bag of clothes my rotc uniform, my ps3(all my entertainment). It it only three things but they come in large quantities. I cannot and willnot go to foster care again. I will live as a bum on the streets instead of that because it is a hell hole in there. I just want advice, thats all.

[sunblockkitty]

How do you know if someone is doing cocaine? What are the effects after someone does it? What do they act like while on it? How much does it cost? I am worried that my ex has our toddler and doing cocaine and smoking pot. We are in a custody battle and divorce case. Can someone give me some insight. Thank you!

[EJM1217]

Honey I don't know what these people are talking about. You are in danger if there are drugs in your home. You need to get help right away. Speak to a teacher, a police officer, a counselor. Someone who can get you out of that situation and into a place where you feel safe. You are a child. You DO NOT need to take on the responsibility of talking with your parents about their addiction. You tell the first reliable adult what is going on and ask for help. They will take action and see that if there is a drug problem, that you are taken from that situation and your parents will get the help they need. If there is not a drug problem, then you did what you needed to do to ensure your safety, and the safety of your family. Please please please do not listen to these people and go straight to someone who is trained to handle these situations. Best of luck honey.

[brett911]

Kaitlyn my name is Brett. Im also 12 years old. I have a foster sister who is 16. She has a learning disabbility. She has come from a very dark past of drugs. Crack,meth,weed,heroin,coke,pot. Everything. And it kills me because she hangs out with kids my age. And i have told the guidance councelar at school but he said that I was baising this on rumors. But honestly i think its very likley shes abusing all of them. She even admitted it to my face. And I would tell my parents but if im wrong thell send her away to ANOTHER foster home. And she used to cut herself and try to commit suicide because she had no parents growing up and was always moving around from home to home. And she really likes it here so i dont want to ruin that. But thats honestly not what im worried about. She hangs out with 6th gradesrs and im just scared theyll get caught in this mess too. Kaitlyn I know i am a complete stranger to you. but when it comes to what's happening to us. I know what you are going through. So i really wish you the best of luck with all of this. Because we are only young. This isint fair to us. i can bairley figure out math and i have to come home and take care of this. I really want you to get through this and i wish you the best of luck!

[IBKleen]

Hi Jessica,

this post is very old and I am concerned it will get overlooked and you will not receive help. So please, go to the top of this page and hit the green Post A Question button. Copy & paste what you wrote here so that you will have your own thread. If you have any questions or need help, let someone know.

Hope to see you in the forum.

[jesse474]

My name is jessica. I'm not sure but i think my dad and his girlfriend do drugs and are addicted. My dads girlfriend has little dots all over her leg that are purplish/blue and she has marks on her face that looks like she picks at it. And i have also heard from people that they sell my dad drugs and that he sells drugs. I heard that the drugs my dad takes are pain killers but i heard that if you're addicted for too long it could kill you. I think he might have the same problem that michael jackson had he was addicted to his painkillers, im just so terrified that he's gonna end up going into cardiac arrest or something. I don't know what to do

[momof279]

try to locate a nar anon meeting or better yet a nar ateen meeting....these groups are for the family members of addicts...you will be able to find people that feel the exact same way...and hopefully kids your age as well...

[kim715]

Google 'meth pipe'.....Is that what you found?

[mo65]

I have a 14 and 17 yr old sons. Been going through all the trial junk. Alcohol, cigs, marijuana. I have found razor blades, lighters, a propane torch and now a glass pipe with a round end. I'm trying to find pics to see what it is used for. this pipe thing i found outside under a pine tree. They say it isn't theirs and don't know where it came from. Of course after everything else I don't believe them. Behavior at home seem normal, I am a working mom and can't watch 24/7. I don't smell anything in the house. What do I do, I don't want them to destroy their lives? When the 17 yr old stays at a friends he seems tired all day the next day. where can i get pics of drugs par?

[Red931]

You stated that you do not think your mother is using any drugs. My suggestion to you is to try and talk with your mother first alone. Then see if your mother can arrange for you all to sit down and talk about this problem together. It will make it easier for you to do it this way.

Should you mother be reluctant to participate then you should seek the help of a school counsellor as others have suggested.

Give your mother a chance first before going to someone else. Do you have any aunts or uncles that are close to your mom and dad that you could talk to? If so you may be more comfortable talking to them to help you with this.

[Red931]

People that have been smoking crack will begin to have very bad teeth. See if you can see a change in his teeth. Crack will leave a digusting residue that toothpaste can't remove.

[Carolyn7139]

Your parents could be smoking tobacco out of the bongs...So dont assume they're doing drugs just because you see that. Thats why its legal to buy bongs in tobacco shops..Now, they could be doing drugs. But it really just depends. I wish you the best of luck honey.

[pierre75]

Im dont want to believe it ive been through so much with my son after getting back in to society after 16 months of being incarcerated i am almost positive he is useing drugs again.I suspect meth and pills give me some more info on meth and how to help him.

[starfish1963]

Crack smells like burnt wires.

[LKA92]

I have this....I guess you could call him my boyfriend. He is a little older than me and I have a heard a lot of stuff about him and drugs. Of course I don't want to beileve them but how can I tell if he is using drugs??



Annoynomus.

[christine70]

Do you have your grandparents around or and aunt or uncle?  If you tell school counselor, she/he will be forced to call social services possibly putting you with strangers.  Request from your parents that you live with a family member or a close friend's family until they clean up their act.  You don't need to be around that and don't get upset if they never clean up their act since that is a possibility.  You just learn from their mistakes and live a wonderful drug-free life.  If you stay away from the lifesyle you will be just fine in the long run.  You rae a strong girl to have posted your thoughts.  You keep that strength and surround yourself with good people and work hard n school to live a comfortable life as an adult.  I will pray for you and your parents.......Christine

[natalile]

LOL.
God ye i've just got onto it PMSL LOL, I did say i wasn't with it LOL.