Pubdate: Wed, 31 Jan 2007
Source: Sentinel And Enterprise, The (MA)
Copyright: 2007 MediaNews Group, Inc. and Mid-States Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://sentinelandenterprise.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2498
Author: Marisa Donelan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

EXPERTS: SUBSTANCE ABUSE SIGNS VARY

LEOMINSTER -- The signs a teenager may be struggling  from drug or 
alcohol abuse may be as obvious as some  pipes or empty beer cans in 
their room.

But other factors, such as declining grades, broken  curfews and bad 
tempers, may also indicate more serious  problems, LUK, Inc., 
substance abuse services  coordinator Jerry Manney told Leominster 
High School  parents Tuesday.

"If you really have concerns, trust your instincts,  trust your gut," 
Manney said during an LHS  Parent-Teacher Organization meeting. 
"(Instincts) tend  to be right. They tend to be on the money."

Manney told an audience of 18 parents and LHS students  about warning 
signs for substance abuse.

The teens he has counseled for addiction often show  declining grades 
at the time they started using drugs  or alcohol regularly, he said.

Parents may notice missing money or valuables, and  alcohol being 
taken from liquor cabinets, he said.

"That's something that people often get upset about,"  Manney said. 
"Unfortunately, they tend to steal from  family or people they know."

Alcohol and marijuana are the most commonly abused  drugs among high 
school-aged children, he said.

But changes in a teen's behavior, including withdrawing  from old 
friends and family, glorifying drug culture to  get a reaction, and 
sullen attitudes may just be the  products of teenage stress.

"When we consider these issues, we have to ask, 'What  are just the 
struggles of being an adolescent?'" Manney  said.

A suspension or expulsion from school for a drug or  alcohol offense 
is an immediate sign the teenager needs  substance abuse counseling, 
Manney said, even if the  teen claims they were caught experimenting 
for the  first time.

"Generally, it's not the first time, or the second  time, or the 
third time," he said.

Shawn Weld, one of two full-time social workers at LHS,  also spoke 
at the meeting, and said the school has been  monitoring substance 
abuse offenses for two and a half  years, and the number has steadily 
decreased.

School officials said they have not determined what  factors are 
causing the number of reported incidents to  decline, Weld said.

He said alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs are  the substances 
most commonly seen at LHS.

Weld works with teenagers to manage the pressure of  academics, their 
relationships and normal adolescent  changes, he said.

"At what point does a parent intervene?" he said. "When  you notice 
they're not getting enough sleep at night,  or they've made drastic 
changes in their appearance ...  You can contact a teacher and ask 
how they're doing in  class."

Parents can also try talking to their teens about  stress management, 
but should anticipate being brushed  off at first, Weld advised.

"Make sure you pick a good time and know what you're  going to say," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman