Testing Your Teen for Drug Use and Illegal Substances
We were all teenagers at one time in our lives and all parents understand that their kids can act impulsively.
However, there is a difference between normal adolescent rebellion and behavior that is related to the use of drugs.
If you have suspicions that your adolescent is abusing substances, you have options.
Don't deny the problem or try to sweep it under the rug because that will make it worse.
Drug testing a teenager may seem like an extreme step, but even if your kid is just experimenting with drugs, it can quickly become an addiction.
You use to have to drag your unsuspecting teen into the doctor's office to get a substance abuse test.
Now, there are companies who produce and market affordable and highly accurate home testing kits.
There are a few different types of test that you can get.
Some of them require your teen's knowledge like urine and cheek swab samples.
These samples are then sent to a designated lab facility for analysis.
There are other tests that can be conducted without your kid's knowledge like a hair follicle test.
Doing this however can ruin the trust between you so this is important to consider.
These samples can be tested for a wide variety of substances.
Usually, parents are the most concerned about marijuana and alcohol since it is the most accessible to their child.
Although these are indeed a problem, there are many other drugs that your teen could be using.
That is why these home tests can find traces of other substances like cocaine, opiates, barbiturates and prescription medications.
One parent I recently spoke with was stunned to find that her son was taking an anti-anxiety prescription drug from a friend who raided his parents' medicine cabinet.
Urine tests are more popular than any other forms because of its affordability, but some say you can only find substances that have been use within a week.
You also will have to be able to obtain a sample willingly from your teen.
Hair follicle tests can identify substances taken up to 4 months in the past.
However, it is more expensive and you can get false positives because hair can absorb marijuana smoke in the air.
Blood tests are also available, but they are the most costly and can be the hardest to get your teen to consent to.
Doing a saliva test is becoming as popular as urine tests because they are so easy to conduct.
However, their reliability can waver depending on the company that is the source.
You can find these drug testing kits for teenagers at pharmacies or online.
However, there is a difference between normal adolescent rebellion and behavior that is related to the use of drugs.
If you have suspicions that your adolescent is abusing substances, you have options.
Don't deny the problem or try to sweep it under the rug because that will make it worse.
Drug testing a teenager may seem like an extreme step, but even if your kid is just experimenting with drugs, it can quickly become an addiction.
You use to have to drag your unsuspecting teen into the doctor's office to get a substance abuse test.
Now, there are companies who produce and market affordable and highly accurate home testing kits.
There are a few different types of test that you can get.
Some of them require your teen's knowledge like urine and cheek swab samples.
These samples are then sent to a designated lab facility for analysis.
There are other tests that can be conducted without your kid's knowledge like a hair follicle test.
Doing this however can ruin the trust between you so this is important to consider.
These samples can be tested for a wide variety of substances.
Usually, parents are the most concerned about marijuana and alcohol since it is the most accessible to their child.
Although these are indeed a problem, there are many other drugs that your teen could be using.
That is why these home tests can find traces of other substances like cocaine, opiates, barbiturates and prescription medications.
One parent I recently spoke with was stunned to find that her son was taking an anti-anxiety prescription drug from a friend who raided his parents' medicine cabinet.
Urine tests are more popular than any other forms because of its affordability, but some say you can only find substances that have been use within a week.
You also will have to be able to obtain a sample willingly from your teen.
Hair follicle tests can identify substances taken up to 4 months in the past.
However, it is more expensive and you can get false positives because hair can absorb marijuana smoke in the air.
Blood tests are also available, but they are the most costly and can be the hardest to get your teen to consent to.
Doing a saliva test is becoming as popular as urine tests because they are so easy to conduct.
However, their reliability can waver depending on the company that is the source.
You can find these drug testing kits for teenagers at pharmacies or online.
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