Common Secret Hiding Places of Drugs

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Prevention, Drug Addiction, Raising Healthy Kids on March 3rd, 2010

Drug paraphernalia can be difficult to detect. Nowadays, technology has successfully developed several ways to disguise these tools as just like everyday things. You must educate yourself with drug paraphernalia and how drugs look like to be sure that you don’t confuse drugs with harmless things and end up hurting your child because of wrong accusations.

As a parent, we cannot help but be on alert when there are indications that our child might be using abusive substances such as drugs and alcohol. It is the role of the parent to ensure our children’s safety and sometimes asking them up front just isn’t enough. That’s when we have to “get our hands dirty”.

hidden drugsYou walk in to your teen’s room and want do a search for substances. Where do you look first? You can start by checking his bags, his clothes, on his table, on and under his bed and on the floor. However, remember this: things aren’t always the way they seem. Be wary of everyday tools that seem out of place. Check his table, top of his cabinet, anywhere that things can be placed inconspicuously. You should expect that your teen will make it very hard for you to locate his secret stash. Go through the simplest things and check. There are known pipes for marijuana that is cleverly disguised as lipsticks and markers, so also be creative in your search.

Marijuana, crack and other drugs are usually hidden in places where our child would expect us never to be able to find. Look through shoes and their clothes cabinet. Marijuana is usually kept in small plastic bags which can be easily hidden away inside a shoe or in a suspicious hole in the house.

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4 Major Factors that Affect Drug Detection Times

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Testing on March 2nd, 2010

Drug tests are becoming a necessary precaution especially when it comes to admission to new jobs and schools. There are numerous methods by which drug detection is carried out, and it is a troublesome fact that there are some of them that are easily cheated. Drug detection times indicate the history of drug use. What it reveals is the presence of metabolites in the specimen as a result of taking drugs. These are the factors that heavily affect drug detection times:

drug testingTolerance

Tolerance is the amount of drugs a person is able to take at one time. Different people have different tolerance rates. If the tolerance for a drug is lower, then the drug metabolizes slower in the body, thus increasing drug detection times.

Metabolism

Like tolerance, metabolism is different for every individual. Our body burns calories as we do our daily routines and activities. Detection times depend on a person’s level of activity or metabolic rate; the faster the metabolism of a person, the shorter the drug detection time.

Presence of Body Fat

In relation to metabolism, the metabolic rate is in some way proportional to the amount of body fat in a person. If the patient is someone with high levels of body fat, his metabolism would be slower thus making the drugs take a little longer to burn away.

Frequency of Drug Use

Although it might seem to be a given that someone who takes drugs on a regular basis can have a longer detection time, this is simply not so. Someone with a higher tolerance for drugs may be capable of metabolizing them faster, thus making it quicker for him to eliminate drugs in his system.

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Common Urine Drug Test Adulteration Practices

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Testing on March 1st, 2010

The greatest weakness of the urine drug test is its vulnerability to adulteration. Cheating techniques have become dangerously easy to access and perform because of the many information people find online. If you go about the Internet to search for techniques to cheat drug tests, you’ll be able to find numerous hits and websites that actually teach you how. There are even products that help you with passing drug tests. To be able to detect possible adulteration in drug tests, examiners need to be aware of these techniques too. Here are the most common adulteration techniques out there:

urine sampleExcessive Hydration

Drinking heavy doses of water and frequent urinating still remains the most popular method of cheating urine drug tests. Cheaters usually use salt solutions to induce dehydration or flushing agents that augment urine outputs. The theory is that the more water you chug down, the more toxins in the urine you are able to let out. But some testing facilities are able to detect suspicious urine samples by checking the urine’s composition.

Adulteration

Household materials may be used to mess up a urine test. A small dose of vinegar, soap detergent, bleach or salt can compromise the urine test by altering its composition and masking the illegal substances. Some chemical cocktails that promise to fool urine tests can be bought over the internet. It is important that before the urine test, that the people undergo a thorough search. Patients are only asked to empty their pockets and are frisked.

Switching Urine

Switching urine is a practice that is known to be the ultimate weakness of urine drug testing since there is no easy way of matching the urine with the user. Cheaters usually bring their foreign urine sample with them to the facility, keeping them as warm as possible. Samples whose temperature is below the average body temperature are deemed suspicious.

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What To Do When You Don’t Like Your Teen’s Friends

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Raising Healthy Kids on February 28th, 2010

There is so little you can do to truly influence your teen’s choice of friends. Sometimes, you approve of his or her choice; sometimes, you don’t. We can’t really blame parents if they often disapprove. It’s natural to be protective of our loved ones, especially given how potent peer pressure can be these days, but it is always best not to overdo it.

friendsWe all have the tendency to ‘judge a book by its cover’, as they say – just as many parents do to our teen’s friends. Just because you don’t like the way they dress does not necessarily mean you can’t possibly get along with them. There is a reason why your child is hanging out with him or her. Try your best to figure out why.

If your teen suddenly brings home with him a spiky-haired, tight-jean wearing, tattooed rocker guy and introduces him to you as his best friend, do not freak out! Take a breath. Remember that sometimes, good things come in strange packages. Try your very best not to openly judge your teen’s friends. Instead of judging, ask him questions about his friend. Simply being genuinely curious about your teen’s friends sends a message that you are interested in his life.

Parents want their children to hang-out with the right kind of people. They hate bad influences. But sometimes because of that over-protectiveness, we lose sight of the fact that people are imperfect. There’s no such thing as a perfect friend for your teen. Try your best to keep an open mind. Remember that the way you, as a parent, act around your teen’s friends plays a very big role on how your child sees you in general.

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Stay Involved Without Sabotaging Your Teen’s Social Life

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Raising Healthy Kids on February 27th, 2010

Parents usually commit the mistake of being too forward with their kids. Teens usually need space of their own, and it is important to remember that they have their own personalities that need and beg to be respected. Getting involved in a very important stage of development – adolescence — is very crucial, so care must be taken.

Communication

parent-teen commnicationThe ultimate key for any success in the relationship between teen and parent is communication. Talking with your teen means you want to be involved in your teen’s life. It may only take a few minutes a day to talk to the teens in order to understand and perhaps detect potential depression problems. Listen carefully and actively, and remember that you do not need to always give advice. Often, listening is enough.

Family Trips

Family trips and get-togethers are very effective to get to know your child. Going on a family trip is a great way to establish good communication lines between you and your child.

Adult-Supervised Activities

Activities like participation in organized sports, after-school programs or youth organizations are great ways to keep track of your child’s progress without necessarily you being there all the time. A parent can monitor his child’s progress and personality by asking school administrators, teachers and peers leading the activities.

It is also important that you should make your home available in case your teen wants to invite his or her friends over. Doing activities at home is great way to know your child’s friends and have a better idea of their activities. You can get to know your teen better if you were able to observe firsthand how he is around friends.

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Teen Dating Risks Parents Need to Know

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Prevention, Raising Healthy Kids on February 26th, 2010

Dating has gone a really long way. From candle-lit dinners, ballroom dancing to club raves and rock concerts, the dating game has definitely changed and evolved. Here are examples of teen dating risks parents should be careful about.

teen datingGroup Dates = Stronger Peer Pressure

Dating in groups has become common these days. Although the groups themselves do not pose any trouble whatsoever, but peer pressure can be much more potent when done in groups. In these group dates, teens may be pressured to explore forbidden things like alcohol, drugs or sex. Also, teens are more courageous to try out things when with friends. It is important for the parent to take action by speaking up and talking to their teen about these issues.

Afternoon Sex Dates

Studies have showed that dating teens usually have sexual intercourse in the afternoons between 3:00PM to 6:00 PM, when their parents are still at work. They usually like to sneak around when there is lesser school or parental supervision. The best way to prevent this is to always monitor your house. Try asking your neighbors to check on your house or try changing your own schedules every now and then, if possible. Also, always remind your teen about the realities and risks of early sexual intercourse and teenage pregnancy.

Date Rape Drugs

Inform your teens with the risks of date-rape drugs. These drugs are usually mixed with the alcoholic drinks during parties when the victim is unaware. To be safe, always be with somebody you trust. Make sure you never go out to a party alone and vulnerable, and do not accept drinks from strangers.

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