How to You Tell if Your Teen is Using Drugs? First Check Home Drug Tests

Has your teenager been acting strange lately? Maybe it's a change in behavior, or a change in the group of friends they are hanging out with. Your teen's attitude may be unbearable, or maybe you are noticing they seem withdrawn. Although some out of the norm behaviors can be indicative of normal teen emotion and growth, if you have a hunch they might be using drugs, you should act early. If you don't, you may allow your teen to dig themselves into a hole so deep they won't be able to get themselves out, and you might not be able to help them. Buying a home drug test is the first step in ensuring this doesn't happen.

While some drugs, including methamphetamines, cocaine and hallucinogens have shown a decline in teen use over the past 5 years, marijuana use has remained constant. Even alcohol use has somewhat declined among teenagers, but there is still a long way to go. Being conscience of even subtle behavior changes in your teenager that might indicate drug use, and talking to them on a regular basis about the dangers of using drugs is vitally important. Studies have shown that teenagers whose parents discuss the dangers of drug use with them are 42% less likely to use drugs than teenagers whose parents do not.

There are many, many brands of home drug tests on the market today. First Check has an entire line of home drug tests. You can purchase a test for marijuana only, marijuana and cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine, a 4 panel drug test that tests for marijuana, cocaine, opiates and methamphetamine, or a 12 panel drug test that tests for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine, ecstacy, amphetamines, phencycidine (PCP), tricyclic antidepressants, barbituates, benzodiazepines, methadone, and oxycodone. The tests range in price from around $15.00 for the marijuana test to an average of $40.00 for the 12 panel drug test.

If you decide to purchase a home drug test, I recommend purchasing the 12 panel test. It is more expensive, but it is going to give you a much more accurate account of what your teen might be into.  Prescription drug abuse among teens is high.  They tend to falsely regard prescription drugs as being safer than illegal drugs, so you might as well cover all the drugs you can in one test.

The First Check home drug test is very easy to use. Catch your teenager the first thing in the morning, before they've had a chance to urinate. Morning urine is the most concentrated and will be the most accurate. It's quite easy to find ways to trick drug tests into displaying negatives, and teenagers are aware that the information can easily be accessed on the internet. Even if you've told them that you will be drug testing them, it isn't advisable to let them know when you will be administering the test.

When you administer the test, you should observe your teen urinating into the specimen cup. If you do not, you need to make sure that your teen is in a room that has no water available. Once your teen has urinated, all you have to do is place the lid securely on the cup and tilt it forward. In 5 minutes, you will have easy to read results that are 99% accurate. There are six columns and three rows. The top row is a control row, and then there are rows for the second drug that is being tested and the first drug that is being tested. A red line will appear across each of the control rows, and red lines appear for each drug that is being tested, if the test for that particular drug is negative. If the test is positive, that particular drug will not have a line. Any line that shows for a drug, no matter how faint, should be treated as a negative.

If you receive any positive results, you will need to send the specimen to the First Check lab for a confirmatory test. Place the identification number sticker onto the front of your instruction pamphlet, mark which drugs need to be confirmed by the lab, and place the sticker on the specimen cup. Seal the cup in the plastic bag provided by First Check and place it in the shipping box. Apply the appropriate amount of postage and send it to the lab. The best thing about it is that you are able to remain completely anonymous.  You can receive confirmatory results by calling the number provided, or by checking online. All you need is your identification number--you never have to provide a name.