Families are often among the first people to sense that something has changed, but recognizing possible drug use can be difficult. Many signs associated with drug use can also have completely unrelated explanations.

A single change in behaviour, unfamiliar object or difficult period does not prove that drugs are involved. What may be more significant is a pattern of changes that represents a departure from the person’s usual behaviour and cannot easily be explained.

Reggie’s family learned this gradually. Looking back, there were sometimes signs that something was wrong long before we understood exactly what was happening.

Warning Signs to Watch For

No single item on this list proves that someone is using drugs. Pay particular attention when several unexplained changes occur together.

• Increased secrecy about activities, friends or whereabouts
• Withdrawal from family or long-standing friends
• Significant changes in sleep, behaviour or routines
• Unexplained absences from home
• Declining school or work attendance or performance
• Frequently needing money without a clear explanation
• Unexplained cash or expensive possessions
• Unfamiliar pills, powders or drug-related objects
• Small bags, scales, burnt foil, pipes or syringes
• Frequent unfamiliar visitors or brief visits
• Significant or persistent physical changes

Changes in Behaviour

Possible changes include becoming unusually secretive, withdrawing from family or long-standing friends, changing sleeping patterns, disappearing for unexplained periods, behaving unpredictably, neglecting responsibilities, declining at school or work, or frequently needing money.

None of these behaviours is unique to drug use. Concern becomes greater when several occur together or represent a significant departure from the person’s normal behaviour.

Changes Around the Home

Families may notice unfamiliar objects or changes in someone’s room, vehicle or belongings, including prescription-pill containers, small plastic bags, digital scales, burnt or discoloured foil, pipes, syringes, unexplained powders or tablets, or hidden containers.

Many of these objects can have innocent explanations. Their significance depends upon the circumstances and what else is happening.

Do not taste, smell or otherwise experiment with an unknown substance in an attempt to identify it.

Changes in Money

Money was one of the warning signs that our own family did not always understand at the time.

Someone may repeatedly be short of money despite having an income, borrow without explanation, leave bills unpaid or have possessions disappear. In the opposite direction, unexplained cash or expensive possessions can also raise questions.

Unexplained money can sometimes indicate something beyond drug use, including involvement in selling drugs or other criminal activity. We discuss those signs separately in Signs a Family Member May Be Involved in Criminal Activity.

Changes in Friends and Visitors

A changing circle of friends is not evidence of drug use. It may become more concerning when accompanied by other unexplained changes, such as unfamiliar people repeatedly arriving at the house, frequent brief visits, people asking for the person at unusual hours, or unusual secrecy about who they are seeing.

Physical Changes

Drug use can sometimes be accompanied by noticeable physical changes, but these vary greatly by substance and can also result from illness, stress, lack of sleep or other causes.

Rather than trying to diagnose drug use from someone’s appearance, pay attention to significant or persistent changes and seek appropriate professional advice when concerned.

Trust the Pattern, Not a Single Sign

One lesson from our family’s experience with Reggie is that warning signs often make more sense in retrospect.

At the time, each event may have an explanation: a strange telephone call, missing money, new friends or a temporary change in behaviour. It is when those events begin forming a pattern that they deserve closer attention.

Recognizing a pattern does not mean assuming the worst. It means being willing to ask questions rather than repeatedly explaining away things that do not make sense.

What Should You Do Next?

If several things are concerning you, the next step is not to become a detective or prove that someone is using drugs. It is to decide how to raise your concerns safely and constructively.

See How to Talk When You Think Something Is Wrong for suggestions about talking with the person, other family members and people who may know more about what is happening.

For treatment, support and professional assistance, see How to Get Help.