Dealing With Back-To-School Stress: How Will Your Child Cope?

Back-to-school can be an exciting and stressful time for teens. On one hand, they are excited to see their friends, but on the other, they’re facing increasing stress and anxiety when it comes to their daily responsibilities. Any Lab Test Now knows that parents are worried and sometimes unsure of how to respond. We try to make it easier with our discreet and confidential drug testing.

Why Teens Take Drugs

One of the first steps to confronting your fears as a parent is understanding exactly why teens take drugs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse offers us some insight.

  • Teens take drugs to fit in. They want to be accepted in a social circle that includes drug-using peers.
  • Teens take drugs to feel good. Drugs produce feelings of pleasure. The intensity of the euphoria differs by the type of drug and how it is used.
  • Teens take drugs to feel better. Depression, social anxiety, stress-related disorders, and physical pain are just some of the issues facing adolescents. Stress especially plays a significant role in starting and continuing drug use.
  • Teens take drugs to do better. The pressure to perform athletically and academically can be intense. Some teens turn to drug use because they believe it will enhance their performance.

Sometimes there’s no real reason; teens just like to experiment, especially doing those things that they perceive as thrilling or daring.

Take Control With ALTN

Any Lab Test Now is here to help you, confidentially and anonymously. Our knowledgeable and professional medical assistants will help you navigate the choices available if you’re unsure of what test might be right for your family. We offer a wide range of tests that can determine drug use. The options include:

Hair Drug Test – A test of hair strands can determine if someone has used drugs as far back as three months. This test is a good choice for parents if they want to find out if their teen has been using drugs for a longer period, or if they think their child knew they were going to get drug tested and stopped using just to pass the test.

Fingernail Test – It takes two weeks for ingested drugs to begin showing in the fingernails. Nail clippings can determine if your child has used drugs as far back as six months.

Urine Test – If you think your teen has used drugs within the last 24 to 72 hours, this is a good choice.

If you suspect your child may be experimenting or using drugs, it can be very frightening. You don’t have to face those fears alone. The right test from Any Lab Test Now will provide you with the information you need to take control of the situation.

Confidentiality and Trust

Protecting your child’s identity is paramount. All testing at Any Lab Test Now is confidential. No one will have access to the results but you — the parent. You will own the results and can even use an anonymous name if you would prefer. Confidentiality and discretion are of the utmost importance to Any Lab Test Now. We work hard to make an already worrying situation as easy as possible.

Back-to-school can mean back to pressure, stress, and temptation for some students. Let your local Any Lab Test Now help you and your child face the challenges of the coming school year, together.

Think Fast – How Many Pills in Your Medicine Bottle? What You Need to Know About Teen Drug Use

How many Vicodin or oxycodone pills do you have left in your prescription bottle from the last time you had a need for short-term pain relief?  Ah, don’t remember, do you?  Most of us wouldn’t – doctors give us a prescription for 10 or 30 pills, we take them as needed until the pain becomes bearable then we save them “just in case” we ever need them again.

Did you know the fastest growing trend in teen drug abuse is prescription medications?  Yep, those young ‘uns are smart cookies.  They know where you keep your meds, and they know you won’t miss 1 or 2 or 5 pills with a street value between $20 – $40 each.  It’s party money to them, and unknown to you.

So, what should a parent do?  Here are a few tips to protect your family from prescription drug abuse and the peer pressure teens sometimes face with their friends:

  1. Many communities host periodic prescription drug “take back” programs.  This means you take your unused or expired prescription medications to a designated drop-off location, and they’ll take it from there.  Ask your local pharmacist about an upcoming event.
  2. Consider a safe for your medications, such as Rx Drug Safe, or build a locked cabinet specifically for this purpose.
  3. As you’ve heard many times before, “keep all medications out of reach of children,” meaning no low drawers or cabinets where little ones can easily reach.
  4. Consider random drug testing, following our Trust But Verify Program.
  5. Ask your physician to only prescribe enough pills to get you over the hurdle in managing your pain.  Move to another over-the-counter pain reliever when you are able.

Parenting is hard, and today’s social environment doesn’t make it any easier.  Help your teen and protect your meds.