Recognising Substance Abuse in Children

What substance abuse looks like at different ages

Substance abuse in children doesn’t follow a single pattern, and what you’re likely to see depends heavily on how old your child is. Understanding what’s typical for each age group can help you recognise when something has moved beyond experimentation.

Early teens (13-15)

This is where peer influence becomes the dominant factor. An NHS survey found that around 11% of 15-year-olds in England had taken drugs in the previous year.

Cannabis abuse and alcohol misuse are most common in this age group, and the signs start to look more like what most parents expect. New friendships, increased secrecy and declining school performance tend to emerge during this period.

Older teens (16-17)

By this stage, substance abuse may have become more regular and more embedded in your child’s routine. The risk of psychological dependence increases with duration and frequency of use and mental health conditions become more relevant.

Government data shows that 14,352 young people aged 17 and under were in treatment between April 2023 and March 2024 and 49% of them also reported a mental health treatment need.

What substances are young people actually using?

Knowing what your child might encounter is practical knowledge that helps you recognise the signs more quickly. Below are some of the most common drugs young people are taking:

• Cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit drug among young people in the UK.
• Alcohol is widespread and culturally normalised, which can make it harder to identify as a problem.
• Vaping and nicotine products have become part of the daily routine for a growing number of teenagers.
• Ketamine abuse has risen sharply among 16 to 24-year-olds in recent years
• Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) remains popular despite being made illegal to supply for recreational use.

The important thing to understand is that most young people who develop substance problems didn’t start with what most parents would consider a “hard drug.” The path can begin with something that feels low-risk and socially acceptable, and it builds from there.

The risk factors that make some children more vulnerable

Not every child who experiments with substances will develop a problem but certain factors make it more likely. Understanding these can help you assess your own child’s level of risk.

Adverse childhood experiences

A major review of 37 studies covering over 250,000 people found a clear relationship between the number of adverse experiences a child has had and their likelihood of developing substance problems.

Adverse childhood experiences include things like abuse and neglect, parental separation, domestic violence or growing up in a household affected by mental illness or substance misuse.

The more of these experiences a child accumulates, the higher the risk. The review found that people with four or more adverse childhood experiences were more than seven times as likely to develop problematic drug misuse compared to those with none.

This doesn’t mean that adversity guarantees a substance problem, and most children who experience difficult circumstances do not go on to develop one. But it does mean that a child who has been through multiple adverse experiences is carrying a level of vulnerability that’s worth being aware of.

Family history of addiction

A meta-analysis found that having a parent who uses substances roughly doubles a child’s odds of using substances themselves. When the parent with the substance problem is the father, the odds of drug use in the child were almost three times higher than in children without that family history.

Part of this is genetic, and research on twins suggests that addictions are inheritable. But the other part of this is environmental, and what happens inside the home matters just as much. A child who grows up watching a parent use substances to cope with stress absorbs a message about what’s normal before they’re old enough to question it.

The honest picture is that family history raises risk, but it doesn’t determine outcome. The majority of children with a parent who has an addiction do not develop one themselves, particularly when other protective relationships are in place.

Undiagnosed mental health conditions

The government treatment data show that 49% of young people entering substance misuse services also had a mental health treatment need. When a young person is dealing with anxiety or depression and doesn’t have the support to manage it, substances can become a way of coping with something they don’t have the language to describe.

Addressing the mental health condition is usually just as important as addressing the substance use itself.

The signs parents should pay attention to

Rather than looking for a single behaviour that confirms a problem, it helps to think about warning signs as a progression.

The early signs are easy to dismiss because they overlap with normal teenage behaviour. For example, the following are normal signs of teenage behaviours:

• Your child might become more secretive about their phone and social media.
• They might start spending time with a new group of friends you haven’t met.
• Sleep patterns might change
• They might seem more irritable than usual without a clear reason.

The signs that suggest things have become more serious include:

• A noticeable drop in school performance
• Money is going missing or being spent in ways that don’t add up
• Physical changes like bloodshot eyes or unexplained weight changes
• A level of defensiveness that escalates when you ask straightforward questions about where they’ve been.

If you’ve noticed several of these developing at the same time, it’s worth trusting your instinct rather than waiting to see if things improve on their own.

What to do if you think your child is using substances

The first step is usually the hardest, and that’s raising it with your child. Lead with what you’ve noticed rather than what you suspect. Saying “I’ve noticed you seem really down lately and I want to understand what’s going on” opens a conversation in a way that an accusation doesn’t.

​If your child pushes back or shuts down, that doesn’t mean the conversation has failed; instead, it means the door has been opened, and they know you’re paying attention. Stay consistent and keep the tone rooted in concern rather than punishment.

​Beyond the conversation at home, speaking to your GP is a practical next step. They can assess the situation and refer your child to local child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) or a dedicated young people’s drug and alcohol team. Some areas allow direct access to these services without a GP referral.

The adolescent brain is still developing, and the areas responsible for impulse control are among the last to fully mature, which is why acting sooner gives your child the best chance of getting ahead of the problem.

How Sanctuary Lodge can help

While Sanctuary Lodge does not provide treatment for under-18s, we understand that a child’s substance misuse affects the whole family. If you’re a parent carrying the emotional weight of supporting an addicted adolescent, or if addiction has become part of your own life, our team is here to help.

Sanctuary Lodge offers residential treatment for adults within a structured, supportive environment, and our family programme is built to support loved ones affected by addiction. For younger individuals, Banbury Lodge provides specialist treatment for those aged 16 and over, ensuring age-appropriate care in a dedicated setting.

If you’d like to talk through your situation, reaching out is a good place to start. Contact Sanctuary Lodge today.