If you’re concerned about whether or not your teen is using drugs you’ve probably seen the usual list of signs and symptoms. Unfortunately, many of these signs and symptoms are vague, and can be typical of teens in general, often leaving parents still feeling confused and still wondering if their teen is using drugs or not.

Certainly finding obvious drug paraphernalia such as pipes, rolling papers, cut straws, etc. are a dead giveaway, but teens know this too and they’re quite creative. Here are 15 red flags that every parent needs to watch for:

  1. Empty mint tins – used to carry pot. The strong mint aroma tends to linger and helps to mask the smell of pot.
  2. Pens/glue sticks that have been disassembled – the tube portion is used (often in conjunction with aluminum foil) to make a pipe.
  3. Aluminum foil - used to make a homemade pipe. Watch for unused aluminum foil in the bedroom and balls of used foil in the trash.
  4. Vicks inhalers or vapor rub – frequently used when high on ecstasy. Watch for inhalers or containers, or the distinctive smell on your teen or in his/her room.
  5. Water or soda bottles with holes cut into them – used to make a homemade bong.
  6. Empty, cut, soda cans – used to make a pipe.
  7. Apples/oranges – can be used as a pipe. Okay, so this is a fruit afterall and not necessarily being used for other purposes, but if you can’t remember the last time your teen ate an apple or orange, yet they’re walking out the door with one…you might want to keep an eye out for some of the other items on this list.
  8. Cough medicines, bottles/boxes – “robotripping” – taking very large doses of cough medicine is a very popular, and very dangerous method teens are using to get high.
  9. Empty whipping cream cans/aerosol cans - Teens (and pre-teens) get a short-term high on the chemical propellant. Commonly referred to as “huffing.”
  10. Light bulb parts – used to make a homemade meth pipe.
  11. Vitamin C – If your teen regularly takes Vitamin C this may be perfectly harmless, but if not and you suddenly find a bottle in their room, beware, it’s often taken along with LSD or mushrooms.
  12. Sodium Bicarbinate - often in the form of baking soda – It’s sometimes taken along with meth or other forms of speed. Very dangerous.
  13. Niacin (B3) – Taken in large doses to “flush” the system of marijuana before a UA (urinalysis). This is a myth, but one that is all over the internet and believed to be true by many teens. In very large doses can cause flushing/redness of the skin, extreme vomiting and dehydration.
  14. Cranberry/Pomegranate Juice – If your teen suddenly develops a fondness for either juice or even for large quantities of water, they may be attempting to “flush.”
  15. Detox teas – chances are your teen hasn’t suddenly become ultra health-conscious. They’re likely trying to “flush.”

While finding any one of the above may not prove conclusively that your teen is using, it should alert you to the possibility so that you can watch more closely for other indications. If you find two or three, it’s highly likely your teen is using and you can’t afford not to investigate further. If you find more than three, do not hesitate….take action NOW. Take your teen to your doctor’s office or local testing facility for a urinalysis. Not just once, but frequently and randomly until you can be certain you know that your teen is or isn’t using drugs.

One final note of caution…whether you recognize any of these red flags or not, if you think your teen is using drugs, if your intuition is all but screaming at you that something is wrong, pay attention. Ignorance is not bliss. As a parent you cannot afford not to know. Your teen’s life and well-being depend on your awareness and action.

Update: It’s been brought to my attention that perhaps I wasn’t clear enough in this post. I am not for a moment suggesting that any of the items listed above prove beyond doubt that your teen is using drugs, or that finding any of them, if you’ve never had cause for concern, is something that immediately warrants taking your teen for a UA. As I stated in the opening paragraph, if you’ve already got concerns, if you think your teen might be using and you’ve read the list of usual signs and symptoms and you’re still not sure, these are red flags to watch for.

I’m also not suggesting that if you think your teen has just begun experimenting a bit with something like pot, that you shouldn’t, first and foremost, talk to your teen. That’s the natural first step. However, a teen that is experimenting, or using only occasionally, is not likely to be crafting their own paraphernalia. If they’re doing so, the chances are much greater that their use is more than casual, and that being the case, the likelihood that they’ll be open and honest in talking about their use is greatly diminished.

I waited too long to take action. My son and I have a good relationship. We talked openly about drugs in general, and his use in particular. I hesitated to take the necessary steps because I wanted very much to trust my son. Had I recognized that the pen tubes, balls of foil in the trash, etc. might be something to be concerned about, I’d have taken steps to confirm or deny, that my son was using before his use escalated from pot, to coke, ecstasy and robotripping.