From hiding places to drugs of choice

Teen on drugs: How he got sober

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

Kids hooked on drugs will hide it as long as they can.  That's why experts say parents need to be just as sneaky. 

The counselors at Gateway Community Services are helping by revealing some common hiding places to Channel 4's Nikki Kimbleton.

New statistics show there's a 65 percent chance that your teenager is either experimenting or regularly using alcohol or drugs.

SUBSTANCE USE DATA: Duval County | Florida

"If you know where they hide their stash, you can confront them and get them help" says Clinical Director Dawn Karlovich. 

Gateway counselors asked a teenager in rehab to come clean about where he would put his stash.

"I would put it in a pocket in my pants and fold it up and then put it in my drawer," says Ben.  "If my clothes were folded neat, then they would look in the drawer but not look in the pockets. And then another place I used to hide it, I had an air vent in my room and I could unscrew it and put stuff in there."

Ben, who estimates he was 12 years old when he started doing drugs, says he would also hide things behind a book in the book shelf.  That's a common place according to drug counselors who told us about even more locations parents may be able to find what they're looking for.

"Inside a shoe, sock roll or clothing drawer," says Karlovich.  "Another place is they unscrew the electrical outlet and put the drugs in there or inside of a phone outlet. Sometimes they'll do a cut out inside of a book or a regular notebook.  One of the most creative things is they put it inside the center of a roll of toilet paper and then put it back on the dispenser."

Ben attended Fletcher High School, a place where counselors at Gateway Community Services see a drug problem.  But it's not the only school with issues.

"We have problems in Mandarin, Southside, Northside,"  says Karlovich. "They're pretty much all over town. Drug use is prevalent."

Statistics show that marijuana is the most common drug kids are using in Duval county but Gateway CEO Dr. Candace Hodgkins said it's not the only thing parents should be looking for.

"Marijuana is and always has been the drug of choice for adolescents. Alcohol is also very high but prescription drugs are on the rise."

Hodgkins says the reason parents should be involved early in the process is because kids are experimenting earlier than ever before. "There are some kids that start as early as nine or 10 years old," says Hodgkins.

In addition to new statistics that show kids are using at a younger age, there's one specific group of kids who tried drugs more in 2011:  girls.  Counselors tell us that in many cases, the opposite sex makes the drugs or alcohol available.

So how do you know if your child is using?  Counselors at Gateway say to look for the typical signs: a drop in grades, bad attitude and lack of interest. 

Ben also reveals some other things that should make it obvious.

"They'll try to stay away from their house as much as they can," warns Ben. "They won't want to participate in family activities. Like if my mom asked me to come to dinner I would be like no, cause I wanted to go smoke."

Parents with alcohol and prescription drugs in the home need to lock it up or they could be unknowingly giving their kids easy access.  Counselors say that's one of the main places kids get it.

"If it's there kids are going to try it, all kids are going to try something," says Hodgkins.

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From hiding places to drugs of choice