This information is from a presentation by Catholic Charities of Lenawee at St. Elizabeth in November 2016.

If 6 of these signs (from any category) are present, you should talk to your teen and seek professional help immediately.

For non-emergency help, contact Masterpeace Center for Counseling and Development at 
517-423-6889


Signs at Home

• Loss of interest in family activities 
• Disrespect for family rules
• Withdrawal from responsibilities 
• Verbally or physically abusive
• Sudden increase or decrease in appetite
• Disappearance of valuable items
• Not coming home on time
• Not telling you where they are going
• Constant excuses for behavior 
• Lies about activities 
• Spending a lot of time in their rooms
• Finding the following:
  • cigarette rolling papers
  • pipes
  •  roach clips
  • small glass vials
  •  plastic baggies
  •  remnants of drugs (seeds, etc.)

Signs at School

• Sudden drop in grades
• Truancy
• Loss of interest in learning
• Sleeping in class
• Poor work performance
• Not doing homework 
• Defiant of authority 
• Poor attitude towards sports or other activities
• Reduced memory and attention span
• Not informing you of teacher meetings, open houses, etc

Physical and Emotional Signs

• Changes friends
• Smell of alcohol or marijuana on breath or body 
• Unexplainable mood swings
• Negative, argumentative, paranoid, or confused, destructive, anxious, over-reacts to criticism, acts rebellious
• Sharing few, if any, of their personal problems
• Not as happy as they used to be
• Overly tired or hyperactive
• Sloppiness in appearance
• Drastic weight loss or gain
• Unhappy and depressed
• Cheats, steals
• Always needs money, or has excessive amounts of money