Change (coins) missing from home - purse, change jar, etc.

Money missing and seems unaccounted for:  mom thinks " I thought I had $10 left in my wallet; didn't I have $10? Well, maybe I spent it."   YOU, THE PARENT, BEGIN TO QUESTION YOURSELF, YOUR MEMORY OF MONEY AND CIRCUMSTANCES.

Small items - jewelry, valuables, household items of resale quality -- missing and unaccounted for

Opiates are sedatives, "downers," therefore they make you very tired; user will begin to seem very dopey, fatigued, sleep much more than usual, sometimes to the point of being unable to wake 

Eyes will reflect the usage - pupils are pinpoint and peculiar looking, fixed – unresponsive to changes of light

User will have "cotton mouth" - speech is impaired and/or slurred, user constantly licks his lips and lips appear dysfunctional

User may seem to have very itchy skin, having the feeling and appearance of "skin crawling"

Be watchful of your child making FREQUENT and apparently unreasonable trips out of the house with all kinds of excuses: “get gas, cigarettes” “go grab a quick bite” “to drop something off/pick something up”.  THESE ARE DRUG PICK-UPS/DROP OFFS

Be watchful of your child having people stopping over CONSTANTLY and for only moments/brief times; be watchful for a lot of people/traffic on your property or in your home

Opiate users will often wear sunglasses inappropriately - inside, nighttime, days which obviously do not warrant their wearing

Appetite decreases drastically; opiate use becomes all consuming; the user progressively loses all interest in eating and drinking;  YET, user always has water on hand, multiple bottles and glasses, often partially full

Watch for evidence of constipation (opiate side effect) - laxatives, enemas, etc.

Weight will decrease immediately and drastically

User loses all interest in any recreational activity, including the opposite sex

Personal hygiene suffers; user loses interest in showering, clean clothes, etc.

Volatile, violent, angry behavior begins and escalates, especially if cornered, questioned, or disciplined; breaks house rules

 

Spoons will be missing, unexplained from the kitchen, or appear blackened on the underside

If user is snorting pills, you may find a colored tint inside your sinks from washing the time release coating from the pills; ie: bluish/green=Oxy 80   yellowish=Oxy 40   pinkish=Oxy 20  Also, watch for bathroom and kitchen towels to have unexplained colors on them (from drying the pills)

For i.v. users, they will have "track marks," injection sites, on arms or on other body parts; these will often be explained away with an "injury" - bandaide, or user will write over the site with pen/ink and say “it’s just a pen mark”

I.V. users will usually wear long-sleeved clothing, to cover arms/track marks, even in the hottest weather/conditions

Watch for burn holes in EVERYTHING!!  shirts, pants, in bedroom, on furniture, in car, etc.

Look for pinprick holes and blood stains on clothing: on shirt sleeves, cuffs;  pants;  inside of pants pockets

Watch for blood in general areas of the house as well as in the car

LYING!!   ABOUT EVERYTHING; secretive behavior

Most likely begins encounters with police

Watch for signs of “dope sick” – this is the user’s attempt at getting clean/off opiates; symptoms are exactly like the flu, only much worse (swelling, weakness, achy/chills, vomiting/stomach); can last for a day to a week.

Be aware of time being missed from school/work either because of repeated “sick” days (see entry above) AND/OR time missed because of NOT being able to get up – lethargic, always sleepy/dopey – this is addict’s active use symptoms

DO:  search the room, bags, cars, clothes for paraphernalia:  needles, needle caps; tiny, black elastic bands; hollowed-out or disassembled pens;  small, empty baggies (clear or colored);  alcohol prep pads or wrappers; cotton balls; small pieces of cotton fiber, like from a cigarette filter

Compiled by Parents 4 A Change
Email: parents4achange@yahoo.com
Website: www.parents4achange.net