How To Tell If Someone I Know Does Cocaine

Hey everyone...im a 17 year old senior in high school and last year i found my dads marijuana stash. Well this hit me really hard becasue i am way against all types of drugs. Well just recently i re-checked to see if my dad was still smoking...well it turns out a found a couple little baggies fo a white powder and a rolled up $1 bill. Now I am 99% sure its cocaine, but how do i check to see if it really is? What does it taste like or smell like? Also, if it truly is cocain, what should i do about it?

Thanks
someone please help me out! any addicts in here? can you tell me how to tell if its truly coke?
My first thought is it doesn't matter what it is, heroin or coke. The fact is that your dad is doing something that could eventually lead to his death or wind him up in jail. I don't know how you can go about confronting him on this, seeing you went sneaking around in his belongings. Either way, if you can find a way to bring this to his attention without the conversation turning to why you went thru his stuff, that would be a good start. I'm sure you probably love your dad and this needs to be conveyed to him and that you are concerned about his drug use and don't want to see him dead, in jail or the family being broke up because of his potential problem. Does your mom know about this? Maybe you could go to a meeting for family members of drug addicts.
I know exactly how you felt when you came across this and found that your dad was using drugs. I am a recovering drug addict and when I told my 2 children, who are also teenagers in high school, they were hurt very much. They both felt guilty and were blaming themselves for this. DON'T YOU fall into this. The fact is, I did what I did, by my own choice and nobody is to blame but myself. BUT..... I did get myself help before things got any worse than they were already. Hopefully your dad can do the same.
Good luck with this and keep in touch and let me know what is going on.... if you want to.

CTaddict
CT, Thanks a lot for your help. The only reason i went through his stuff is becasue last year as i walked by his room and got a good whif of pot. Being in high school, i definetly recognized the smell. So when i got home and he was still at work, i went to try and find his stash...well i found it and then when i re-checked a year later...i find this s***!!! I almost took it and flushed it down the toilet...i wanted to hit him so hard when i found it. Do you think it would be a good idea to take it from him? What is he gonna say? "Where the hell is my cocaine"...i dont think so...any suggestions
I don't know if I would suggest taking anything from him yet. Maybe you can tell him about the time you smelled pot coming from his room and want to know if he is a pot smoker..........and does he use other drugs too. I understand your anger but you don't want to get mad at him and start screaming or anything like that. Being a recovering addict myself, I know that this might be something that could set him off to go and use again........and MORE of it the next time. Not sure but that could happen. Confront him about the smell of pot and let him know that you love him and it hurts you to know this and you don't want to see him dead or in jail. How would he feel if he smelled pot coming from your room? Or if he found drugs and the materials used for the drug of choice in your room? Also, you may want to let him know that you have been researching this topic on drugs and you have conversed with recovering drug addicts and the thought of him using drugs scares you.......alot.
Now, with this said, if your dad is a drug addict, I suggest to YOU to stay as far away from drugs and people who use them. The chances are that you have that "ADDICTIVE BUG" in you too.
Trust me when I tell you that drugs can and will be very destructive in your life if you start using them. JUST DON"T START !
I'm happy to help you in anyway I can and just hope that what I suggest might be of some help to you and your dad! Get back to me and let me know.
CT, You have really been a big help...i dont think that im at risk of getting into any drugs. I am a real wuss when it comes to that kinda stuff...the thought of doing any of that scares the living crap outta me! Id be way to scared to try it the first time. I have the feeling that i will instantly die if i try it...and id like to keep it that way. IM AM SO NERVOUS ABOUT CONFRONTING HIM!!! Even thinking about confronting my mom is making my heart race! Id like to confront my mom about it...but i dont know how to go about doing it though. He has always told me to stay away from this kinda stuff and to keep a clean record...and thats exactlly what ive done, becasue i idolize my dad so much! Until now...i wanted to be EXACTLLY like him! I know its not my fault by any means, but i wanna know why he even started...why did you start?
We all have started using drugs for varying reasons. I myself, grew up in an era where drugs were "COOL". Trust me, there is nothing cool at all about turning into a drug addict and trying to get clean from them is no picnic either. I am guessing that your dad is probably around the same age as I am and probably went thru the same phase. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and if being scared to death of using drugs prevents you from ever using them, then you obviously have had some education on this matter, from school or another source, but you have every reason to be scared. Drugs can kill you instantly and not just over long periods of use. I have had friends who have died from drugs and it is not a pleasant site to see the parents burying their teenage or even older, child.
You should question your mom about this. If you are wrong, she can't blame you for being concerned and might even be proud of you for understanding that drugs are a deadly substance. And if you are right, then she knows that the drug use has to come to a stop and soon. Does your mother use drugs too? Or you don't know for sure about this? If she also smokes pot, then bringing this up to her will most likely get her to do what she needs to do to bring this to an end. After all, if dad is smoking pot in the bedroom, your mom is sleeping there too and I assume that she knows what is going on. MAYBE !! Don't hold me to that statement.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be like your dad,except for the drug use part. Just because your dad might be using drugs, does not make him a bad person. He is just doing bad things and making bad choices I know my son looks up to me and I would like to think that he is even prouder or me for getting myself help for my drug problem. There is some shame in drug use but there is more shame in NOT getting the help you may need.
Remember, drugs can kill and for you to do whatever needed to be done in order to help him/them is the right thing to do. Just be mature about the way you talk about it with them/him/her.
Hang in there kid, and just keep praying for the best. I'm sure with your concern and if you decide to confront them on this, things will work out for the best.
Keep in touch, I don't mind at all helping you any way I can. Best to get the help from people who know EXACTLY what is going on. All recovering addicts are willing and able to help other addicts or, in your case, family members of addicts. Get back to me and let me know what you think .
CT, Im really glad im talking to you about this. My one worry is that my mom might not know that my dad is doing cocaine (if that is indeed what it is). If she doenst already know, it will crush her and will probably end in divorce. I have a feeling that she knew my dad was smoking pot, but then thought he quit (i thought he did, didnt smell it anymore). I think that she doesnt know about what he has started now. She would be a wreck if she didnt already know about it. The thing is, my dad isnt showing any of the effects ive been reading about. No bloody noses, no constant sniffing, no decrease in apetite, and no increase in energy. Also, the amount of this stuff he has would lead me to think that it would be thousands of dollars worth! I know cocaine is a very expensive drug...and he has about 5 little baggies that measure about almost 2" tall and about 1.25" wide. He also has some little circular containers that have a diameter of about 1" and a depth of about 1/2" -3/4". And all 5 baggies and both of the containers are full. That seems like a freakin ton of cocaine. When he smoked pot he always had what my sister said was "really cheap stuff"...It didnt have any nuggets or anything. So that makes me think he wouldnt spend a lot on cocaine. Is there anyway i can tell if its cocaine? Could i touch my finger to it and taste it? would it have a distinct taste?
I don't suggest you do any taste test with the drugs. And just because you don't smell pot anymore doesn't mean that he has stopped. Maybe he thinks that it is too risky to do in the room anymore. I know that is what I did when my kids starting getting older. I would go outside when they went to bed and smoke it. And when I was using coke or other drugs, I would just go into the bathroom and do it there.
I understand your concern about breaking up the family if your mom found out about dads drug use but, think of the other options.......DEATH,JAIL,etc.
Have you had a drug education class in school? If so, maybe you could break the ice by asking your mom and dad if they have used drugs? I don't know if this is the best way either, seeing that one day you might want to confront him on the bags of powder in his room. As far as there being many bags, I just hope that your dad is not selling drugs...this could be a BIG problem if he ever got caught doing so.
I suggest asking them about the smell of pot and let them know that you have been researching and talking to people about this and you are very worried . Tell them you are sorry for bringing it up but, tell them you love them very much and you don't want to see them kill themselves with the things they are telling you to stay away from.
Get back to me and let me know what you think.
I dont know where you are located but I am in Connecticut and I am ready to go to bed soon. Feel free to leave a message and I will check for a response later from you. Good luck !
CT, I really hope he isnt selling any of this. Your right about it leading to some MAJOR problems! They are leaving on vacation for 10 days on friday and i dont know if i sshould say something before they go...or say something when they get back. Just the thought of having to confront him about that is making me nervous to the point of puking, but I know that for the good of my dad i have to do it. what is your take on him not having any of the side effects of cocaine? He seems normal...doesnt seem like hes any different then he was like 5 years ago. BTW...i found a pack of cigarettes in his car a few years back and showed them to my mom...and she didnt talk to him for 2 days...didnt sleep in the same bed as him either...she was really pissed off...i cant imagine what will happen if i tell her about the stuff i found and she doesnt already know. Man, im really scared to do this. So what doy ou think about his lack of side-effects, adn when should i tell them...before or after the trip?

Thnaks (oh yea...i live in utah)
If they are junkies it is easy to tell. They are lying thieves who mess up constantly.
well...my dad hasnt taken any money from me...i dont have a whole lot, so id know about it...either he hasnt lyed or he is a really good lyer. He is very professional so he doesnt stumble over words or "mess up" at all.
Don't pay too much attention to that last reply. I don't know if this guy is just being a wise-a** or if he is trying to make a point there. I do know that he didn't offer much advise or anything else to help you with your problem there. So, again, don't pay attention to wise-cracks from people who just throw useless comments like that last one out to you. Davey, maybe you can read the rest of this kids problems and try to give him real advise instead of just knocking drug addicts. Just my suggestion, thats all. I'll be in touch again kid.
See ya later.
Sorry, forgot to answer your questions there ! As far as side effects go, alot of people can use drugs and not show that they are high. I know I have done this in the past. And, look to see if he has any drugs where he hides them the day before they go on vacation. If he does and they are gone when they leave, then maybe you should be ready for the fact that maybe mom is doing this also. As far as the cigarettes go, maybe he told your mom that he quit and he got caught lying to her and that is the reason she was mad at him. Not sure about that. Start off by just asking them both if they have ever used drugs. The reason you are asking is because you know people in school that use drugs and you don't like the way they are when they are high? I don't really know how you can go about this but, I do know that something needs to be done and soon.Maybe you would want to wait until after the vacation but, if you do ask before they leave, I'm sure it will give them both something to think about while they are gone. Let me know what you decide.

CTaddict
CT, I just keep asking myself "why me...why my parents?" I can totally see how people (especially kids my age) could think they are to blame for this. Now, I want to assure you that I know this is absolutley 0% my fault. I dont blame anything on myself, but do catch myself asking "Does he not love me anymore?" "Did I do something wrong?" i would like to confront them about this before their trip, but I dont know if I will be able to get the courage to do it. If my mom is also involved in this...im not sure what im gonna do. I dont know if I will ever be able to look at them the same. They say "The apple doesnt fall far from the tree" but I am 100% against any type of drugs...and yet my dad smokes pot and might do cocaine. How am I so different from him? I am very strong against peer pressure...people have tried to get me to do stuff I dont want to. But for some reason, I find it incredibly easy to say no, even if they keep asking me and pressuring me to do so. I have no problem getting in one of my friends faces if thats what it takes to stop them from pressuring me...in fact i have done it many times. If i dont confront them on it before their trip...i will want to talk to someone about it...maybe someone i know personally (dont get me wrong...you have been a great person to talk to!)...i just dont want them to think less of my parents. Adminastrators at my school tell me to talk to my counselors, but all of them know my parents extremely well. (not becasue of problems with me...just becasue my family had 2 kids go thorugh already). So i dont want the counselers to think less of my parents. What would you have done if one of your kids took your stash of coke and you didnt know what happened to it? I just feel dirty everytime i think about it. I grew up in the nice suburbs and have led an almost perfect life in my mind...but now i feel as though i belong on the streets. I have always been taught that people who do hard drugs like cocaine are lower class people that have terrible lives. But as i got older i figured out that every single type of person can have a drug addiction. But all those years of being told that "only dirty/homeless people do drugs" has kinda made a lasting impression. I just would like to know WHY? Why does my dad do this? What event drove him to do this crap? I jsut have a feeling that he will get incredibly upset if he finds out that i know about it...not to the point of abuse or anything, just that he knows that i idolize him...he will be very VERY dissappointed in himself i think. God, this sucks
First, I will tell you that there are no good explanations as to why people start using drugs. Like I said previously, I grew up in an era when it was a cool thing to smoke pot and I'm sure you have probably heard before that pot is a gateway drug to harder stuff. The people who use drugs come from every class and every race......there are no limits to who can be sucked into drug use. It is available to everyone and if someone decided to make that first move, it is very easy to start the life of destruction. I will tell you that not everyone turns into a drug addicted person just because they smoked pot or snorted coke but, there is only one way to prevent the possibility of that happening.....DON"T DO IT ! And just because you don't become addicted to the drugs you use, it doesn't make the use any less harmful. It does do harm to the mind and body and that is a fact.
As far as your parents getting upset because you have found out that they/he is using drugs............GOOD ! If it takes shame to get them to stop then "SO BE IT". WHatever means it takes to get the drug use to stop is ok.
If this problem is upsetting you that much, I would just come right out and confront them. You are a young man right now and you love your parents very much and have every right to be concerned. Just come right out and tell them that you have smelled pot in their room and have seen bags of cocaine or another substance in there as well. Just ask them "WHY" and explain to them that if drugs are so bad that they tell YOU to stay away from them, then they should do the same and set the example of for you. Have you talked with your brothers and sisters about this yet? Maybe you can get some answers from them about this and maybe you can confront them all together.
All I can say is that, obviously this is bothering you very much and before it starts driving you crazy, you need to bring it up to them. Again, ask your sibblings to help with this situation. Together I'm sure you will get the message thru to them.
Let me know what you decide to do.
One more thing......if you have "Friends" who are trying to get you to use drugs, stay the hell away from them. They are not friends and they can only lead you into a life of trouble. Shame them into maybe stopping too. Maybe it'll work, maybe not but either way, stay away.