Clint Eastwood Youth Program - CEYP Newsletter
Issue 05: To drug test or not to drug test — that is the question
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Perhaps your child’s behavior seems a little strange lately — coming home a little “hung over,” keeping the door to his/her room closed, secretive phone calls. All of this could be normal, unpredictable teenage behavior, or it could be drug use. You may have asked yourself, “How do I approach this as a responsible parent? Should I have my child drug tested?” There is no simple answer. If you think your teen may be using drugs and you are considering drug testing, here are some things to weigh. |
Pros and Cons of Drug Testing
- Drug testing may tell you if your child has been using drugs, but may not tell you when or how much he/she was using.
- Drug tests do not tell you anything about substances not covered by that drug test. Alcohol is the most likely drug of abuse by teenagers and is not included on a normal drug screen.
- Testing your child for drugs may disturb whatever trust there is between you and your teen.
- Drug testing may be inaccurate. It may produce false positives, and it may produce a false sense of security if results are negative.
- Teens may know how to “get around” the testing. (There are products that help flush the system of drugs and may alter results.)
- Drug testing is expensive.
Does Drug Testing Work?
An Oregon study suggests that school athletes subject to random drug testing were four times less likely to use drugs than their counterparts not subjected to drug testing. Still, although the students used less drugs, the athletes often switched to other substances, like alcohol, that were harder to detect. Drug testing may be most useful when the child has successfully completed a treatment program and is conscientiously working to stay clean. Drug testing may help keep your child from relapsing.Drug testing may be useful if you do not trust the information being provided by your child or if you witness behavior that jeopardizes your child’s safety.
Use a Recognized, Trustworthy Drug Lab or Drug Test
If you choose to drug test, experts suggest you do so without warning. Sometimes this means setting up the drug test Friday, testing, (tossing out the urine) and retesting Sunday morning after the child thinks he/she is “safe.” Once the results are in — whether they are positive or negative — you must be ready to respond rapidly. You must be prepared to deal with your child’s reaction to the idea of drug testing.
If You Have Concerns, Get Help!
If you have concerns about your child’s behavior, or concerns that they may be using, it is imperative that you seek assistance. Arrange a screening or evaluation. See your physician if you are seeing physical problems. Seek chemical or mental health consultation if you suspect behavioral, emotional, or chemical use issues. The Clint Eastwood Youth Program offers a free screening to help determine if chemical or mental health issues are a concern. In addition, parents may be able to gather information by using various means including:
- Talking with your child, calmly without judgment.
- Clearly expressing your concerns and the behaviors you see.
- Offering help, not condemnation.
- Knowing who your child’s friends are.
- Getting to know your child’s friends’ parents.
- Getting involved at their school; talking with their teachers.
- Knowing where your child is and what they are doing.