Quiz helps flag the signs your teen could be using drugs or alcohol

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Wondering if your teen is using drugs or alcohol? Coming to the conclusion can be scary, but recognizing the signs is critical.

According to the Center on Addiction, 9 out of 10 adults who develop substance problems started using before they turned 18. “Substance use is often a way teens self-medicate or alleviate the symptoms of a co-occurring mental health disorder such as anxiety, depression, or ADHD,” says Dr. Azhar Yunus, Medical Director of Rogers’ Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Adolescent Residential Care.

Although not intended to diagnose addiction, to help parents if they are concerned Rogers has developed a 7-question, confidential quiz to flag the signs your child could be at risk.

The quiz asks questions such as:

• Have you noticed a change in your teen’s personality or behaviors, such as uncharacteristic irritability including aggressive or violent outbursts?
   
• Have your teen’s grades in school decreased?
   
• Have you noticed unusual physical symptoms, such as bloodshot or dilated eyes, weight loss, poor hygiene, unexplained nosebleeds, or shakiness?
   
• Have you found drugs or paraphernalia in your teen’s room?

To take the quiz, visit rogersbh.org/teen-addiction-quiz. 

Residential and outpatient care for teens at Rogers

Do you know a teen struggling with mental health and substance use? At Rogers, our expert psychiatrists and addiction specialists understand the link between substance use and the mental health challenges that are often at the root of the dependence, and how critical it is to treat both at the same time.

Through our residential care for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery in Wisconsin and various outpatient clinics throughout the country, we treat a teen’s mental health and combined use of alcohol, drugs or opioids.

For a free, confidential screening, call 800-767-4411, or request one online.