Sometimes things aren't quite what they seem. When it comes to teenagers, for better or worse, they are often much more than what meets the eye. The same goes for the seemingly innocuous items you would find in their bedrooms. You would be surprised at how many objects are actually secret stashes for teenagers hiding drugs and alcohol.
What looks like an ordinary Coca-Cola can is really a stash container with twist-off lid. A Rubik's Cube can open up with the right color combination. A can of hair spray can have a secret compartment. Even a water bottle that's filled to the brim and totally transparent can be a secret stash box.
“I think they get a kick out of it when their parents don’t know about it,” Sandy Logan of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence told CBS.
Sandy says that around 40 percent of the teens she has counseled for drug and alcohol abuse have had undetectable stashes. It's an issue that rings true for Lori Gonsalves. She noticed her son's erratic behavior and the warning signs of addiction, but didn't put it together until her son overdosed on heroin and suffered permanent brain damage.
“I noticed one of the serving spoons in my kitchen was gone, and I would find Q-tips in there and I thought, ‘Wow, he’s keeping his ears really clean,’” Lori said.
Experts say missing spoons, a peculiarly clean book on the shelf, and even empty water bottles — an indication of dry mouth from pills or pot — can be signs that are worthy of investigating. No one is suggesting we treat teenagers like criminals, only that we pay attention and don't miss what can easily be hidden in plain sight.
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