We just found a stash of stuff in our 17 year old sons room, including water bottles filled with what looks to be urine, with such a strong smell I almost vomited. Not sure how old they are, but can we buy a drug testing kit and would this urine be able to confirm the drugs or is it to old? Thanks
I think you need fresh samples. But, that should not be a problem. Just tell him he needs to go in for a regular checkup before you guys go off to a vacation or something. "They need everyone to be tested before they let people enter Bermuda" or something.
Trust your gut feel @Disneygrl. If you suspect that your son has been using drugs then you probably are right. Testing "old" urine however may not get you accurate results so if you want him tested I'd second djdrug's suggestions — use a different strategy to get him tested for drugs. This could also help: https://ncadd.org/about-addiction/signs-and-symptoms/what-to-look-for-signs-and-symptoms
Yeah. Trust your gut with this. Look its normal for kids to get lost, but the best thing to do is to help them fix this early on. You don't want it to go on for long.
The mistake most parents make is being scared of confronting their children because they could flip, run away or isolate themselves. There are ways to approach this situation; make an appointment on his behalf and inform him you need to both get checkups. If his test is positive for drugs, get him into a facility and let him know you are helping him for a better future and you are not the enemy. Try not to give your son a choice. He is only 17 and has a bright future ahead of him. You are the parent, you make the rules.
I hate to say it but it sounds like your kid may be potentially using drugs. I also hate to admit it, but that used to be me. I used to have bottles of pee and trash all over my room. Sometimes for a person on drugs living in filth feels more comfortable then living in a clean environment. The important thing is whether there on drugs or not, this isn't normal behavior. And Is A cause for concern either way. If you confront him about it, he may get very defensive like I did, because let's face it its embarrassing. Remember to at least act like your understanding about it. He's going thru something you don't quite understand. But attacking him will only compound the problem. The best thing i could say is its very likely he is using some sort of drug, or experiencing a mental health issue. It could totally be one or the other so don't put all you're eggs in one basket. A surefire way to tell, is a completely random drug test. If he gets extremely defensive about this and refuses, 9/10 your looking at someone using drugs. A person with nothing to hide that cared at all about there relationship with you would take the test.
Also it is of upmost importance to makev the drug test as random as possible. If he has any notion that your going to test him, he could prepare for the test. There are many ways to throw off a drug test. Your safest bet would be to stand behind him and watch you pee. That's what probation officers do. that way you know there's no trickery. Also keep an eye on your trash. There's drugs he could be using that don't show on a drug test. Like cough medicine is a huge one. Or air duster, things like that.
You make a great point about the possibility of someone using something that doesn't show up on a drug test, @Lostinvoid.