Local time Zagreb London Rome Bangkok Hong Kong Tokyo Sydney Fiji Hawaii San Francisco New York Buenos Aires

How to recognise drug abuse

Statistical data shows that in large number of cases parents were not aware for two to three years that its child takes drugs.

When the first shock and disbelief pass, virtually all parents says that think they noticed the signs but they just couldn't believe. To other parents the first sign that something was going on was when they found their overdosing child on a bathroom floor.

Almost 80 percent of teenagers know everything about smoking and despite that more than 70 percent of them start to smoke pressed by their colleagues. Children who smoke and drink alcohol are more exposed to danger of tasting something else. Average age when child begin to take psychoactive substance (marihuana) is 14 years, psychostimulants 17 years, opiates 20 years, intravenous drugs 20.6 years. From the first smoking of joint to the last dose or overdose there are four phases. The first phase starts with curiosity. Child start to smoke marihuana (mostly), but that time of consummation doesn’t last long. Once when curiosity or prove that can act as adult is satisfied, the phase ends and in a large number of cases child never try to smoke again. Second phase is called "double life phase" - the time of consummation when behaviour starts to change. In that phase it is extremely important to recognise the signs. Third phase is the phase of constant searching for euphoria. Mental addiction is already there and rehabilitation is very hard. Fourth phase or the phase of physical addiction is the phase when healing is extremely hard.

Some of the signs should provoke you to react even if it's not the question of taking drugs but serious adolescent crisis your child is coming through. Those are sudden and often mood changes, sudden eruptions of anger, bigger alienation from family, changing friends, problems in school, giving up of extracurricular activity, avoiding answering where he spend the time and with whom, bigger need for a money, changing of appetite and the eating habits, forgetting, disappearing of money from home, theft, discovery of little papers, bottle caps, spoons, aluminium foils and dirty cotton wool somewhere in his room.

Young children often start with glue. They usually squeeze it in plastic bag to reach higher concentration in the air they breathe. Glue inhaling can cause hallucinations and total loss of self control, and if dose is too high it causes convulsions, coma and death.

Marihuana starts to influence person 15 to 30 minutes after smoking and its effect last 2 to 4 hours. Weird smell around your child, bloody eyes and pupils larger than usual are some of the characteristic signs of smoking marihuana. Marihuana affects specific receptors in the brain that are in charge for memory, thinking, concentration, perception, feeling well and coordination. Trouble with short-term memory, lower ability to concentrate and learning, changing perception of reality, especially time (person think that a time go more slowly) are just some of the consequences. When we are talking about child’s behaviour, pay attention if your teen looks lethargic all the time and feels sleepy. One of the signs is also unusual joy and laughing for no particular reason. Because smoking of marihuana weakens short-term memory, weak grades in school could be one of the warning signs. If your child change all its old friends with the new one, it will be wise to see what's going on.

Ecstasy acts as a psychostimulant. It starts to affects the person after 30 to 90 minutes. It affects the centre for regulation of temperature and increases body temperature to a high level. The side effects are blood coagulation, heart failure and, if it is mixed with alcohol, death. Person who takes ecstasy is full of energy, never tired and has unusual energy. After a few days of taking ecstasy, mood collapses and person loose will to eat. In some persons only one taking can cause heavy and even deadly poisoning.

Speed belongs to the group of amphetamines. It is more expensive drug and it works similar as ecstasy.

Cocaine starts to acts immediately after sniffing or smoking. It has psychostimulant effect with feelings of euphoria and anxiety lasting for 20 to 30 minutes, so person must take it frequently.

Heroin acts 30 minutes after taking and if it is taken intravenously it acts immediately causing euphoria. Person is often sleepy and not interested in his environment and people nearby. If person takes heroin every day the addiction develops in 2 to 4 weeks.

LSD is a hallucinogen drug. It starts to affects after 40 to 60 minutes. It is the heaviest psychoactive drug that changes behaviour causing psychosis, unusual thoughts and speaking, changing person's perception of time.

November 6, 2008

Post to:

Enjoy more articles from this section

Comment this article on forum

You read one year ago:

Shiny flat panel Crystal

Dell made Crystal Display, a flat panel monitor that you will watch with pleasure. And you will invite others to watch it. It is a beautiful piece of design no matter is it off or on.

Section: small-devices-for-fun

Latest articles from other sections

copyright 2006-2009 by Positions and Promotions -- design by histerius