In a speech given to parents and teens at the Red Ribbon kick-off, Juvenile Court Judge Kimberly Corsaro stated that most of the teens that appear in her courtroom for drug-related issues have significant family issues which are directly related to the teen's substance abuse.

"She told of a troubled youth who actually told her he preferred to stay in the county juvenile detention center than go home to his parents who seem to always be fighting. The impotence the child felt against the problems his mother and father have was enough to want him to opt for a cell with a concrete floor and no privacy even to go to the bathroom."

Parents should look for warning signs of drug use, and act as soon as they suspect something isn't right. The sooner the problem is discovered, the more quickly a teen can get help.

Worried that your child is headed down the wrong path? Find a private school and other programs for troubled teens at 4TroubledTeens.com.

Labels: influences, involvement, signs