(1) As for our area, drug use is a big concern. I decided to look at this problem through the eyes of my 15-year-old who is in 9th grade at one of our local high schools. According to our youngest, th

(1)

As for our area, drug use is a big concern. I decided to look at this problem through the eyes of my 15-year-old who is in 9th grade at one of our local high schools. According to our youngest, the students that abuse drugs at his high school come across as ‘always on edge’, meaning they seem paranoid. He also states that these students get into trouble more often than those students that do not associate with drugs. The students that abuse drugs tend to have an argumentative persona, that they agitate fights. As for physical features, some are very skinny and overall appear small. He notices that quite a few of these students have ‘tics’; they are constantly moving their bodies and struggle to be still. He has also noticed that lots of these students will avoid eye contact and law enforcement. Unfortunately, he has witness, whom once were his friends, commit crimes such as vandalism and stealing.

            According to the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the signs observed from our son are warning signs that parents/guardians should look for when concerned that a child may be experimenting with drugs (2019). This includes narcotics and prescription drugs. HG.org suggests that most high school students do not even realize they are committing crimes while on a ‘high’ such as sexual acts and urinating in public (HG.org, n.d.) It is very unfortunate to see a student with a promising athletic scholarship lose that opportunity to drug or alcohol and related crimes. HG.org continues to express how young students could possibly develop a permanent criminal record due to the choices and behaviors the student committed while under the influence. This article continues to give parents and guardians advice on what to do should your child be in a situation as mentioned above.

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