Son taking drugs - How would I know?

chocomonsta

Hi

I recently found my son's bank statement and was shocked to see that in some weeks he has taken out huge amounts £200-300 over a couple of days. I asked him to explain where it was going and he could not. He does not have a car, pays me about £200 a month for rent including his mobile phone. He earns about £1000 take home pay and yet it is spent within the first 2 weeks usually. I can only think that he is spending it on drugs. I know that he smokes weed ( he says everybody does it), but he knows I disapprove and does not do it in front of me. He is not showing signs of drug use, but then I don't know what they are. He is 18.

MattLFC

Does he go clubbing? Its easy to blow hundreds in bars and clubs nowadays.

Don't be so worried just yet; if he has a girlfriend, it can cost tonnes nowadays, a trip to the flicks alone can cost £60 or more.

Have you/are you able to ask him?

Kavanne

How do you spend £60 at the cinema!? I would like to know!!

Why could he 'not' explain it to you? What did he actually say when you asked 'where did it all go?' as that could be very important.

skintas_2

me and my partner go cluibbing and cost us £150.

we pay £ 25 each to get in a club, drinks about £4.80 and ciggarettes and the rest, its expensive, and taxis, maybe hes put the money into another acount high interest,

why do you think hes on drugs, wel you know he smokes weed. what his behaviour like..

chocomonsta

I have asked him and he says no he is not taking them. He does not go clubbing vey often - maybe once every couple of months, he does like going to the pub where I know he binges till he is quite drunk, but again only once or twice a week if that. He has a girlfriend but he does not seem to go out anywhere with her, mainly 'chilling' at hers or his. He does not buy clothes and he cannot explain what he does spend it on.

Some times his pupils look a bit small, but he says it is the weed?

I have threatened to throw him out if I find out he is taking drugs. Also, I have heard from someone that he was at a party and he was doing a lot of smoking....but she would not explain further as she did not want to get him into trouble. I do not know about drugs, I have looked on the Frank website but it did not make things any clearer.

skintas_2

does he get really moody, bad skin, get hunger pangs, what about his friends he hangs around with what are they like, maybe he spent the money on drink or a girlfriend.. or he deposit for something or xmas pressies

at least hes working, my brother had a serious drug problem at this age, we where worried as he was doin this money and he had no job, .. dont think the worst.

chocomonsta

skintas wrote: »

me and my partner go cluibbing and cost us £150.

we pay £ 25 each to get in a club, drinks about £4.80 and ciggarettes and the rest, its expensive, and taxis, maybe hes put the money into another acount high interest,

why do you think hes on drugs, wel you know he smokes weed. what his behaviour like..

No, he is definately not saving anything His behavior is the same I think, I have not noticed any changes, sometimes I think he looks a bit rough...I tell him to go and have a shower and a shave and he will, he is 18 I think he acts ok for an 18 year old.

oystercatcher

Could he be gambling?

Oystercatcher

10past6

You may well find this helpful

milliebear00001

Sorry to have to ask, but why on earth were you looking at his bank statement!?

It's possible he's just like every other 18 year old I know and has a money 'evaporation' problem. Nights out, taxis, lunch out all week etc etc really does add up. His lifestyle isn't like yours (would you want it to be?) but that doesn't mean he has a problem with hard drugs! It may be that he's spending money on recreational drugs other than cannabis, but he's hardly likely to tell you so. Many 18 year olds experiment, and many don't. Unless he's addicted to a 'hard' drug, you are unlikely to see any obvious symptoms.

He's presumably paying you what you see as a fair rent, and if you're happy for him to carry on living at home, what he does with his money after that is, presumably, up to him?

JoJoB

Constant runny nose and sniffing would be a good indicator of a coke habit - which can eat into the money easily.

But I can spend 2-300 quid very easily very quickly and find it difficult to put my finger on where it's all gone, and like others say it is madly expensive just having an average night down the pub these days. You don't need to be doing drugs to get through cash that quick these days, just young and careless.

If he binges down the pub there might be a fair chance he's doing the fruit machines though - £50 can disappear into those in minutes.