Let’s face it – raising kids can be tough!

In today’s culture of explosive media, limitless access to technology and electronic devices, and pressure from peers to experiment with drugs and alcohol, it can often feel as if a parent’s only option for guiding their teen through the tumultuous years is to grit their teeth and just try to survive. How can you be sure as a parent that you are giving your student as many resources as possible for staying away from decisions that can have lifelong consequences? ProTeen has created one solution that seeks to help parents and students navigate at least one hurdle – saying no to drugs and alcohol.

What does ProTeen provide for parents or guardians?

Peace of Mind

ProTeen offers professional, lab-based drug screening for substances such as alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines/methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and other prescription medications; By scheduling random drug screens from a neutral third party, parents can potentially eliminate damaging trust with their child that could result from a “I’m dragging you in for a drug test because I think you’re doing something wrong!” approach. Instead, the ProTeen program coordinator notifies the parent(s) to bring the teen in for a urine test on a random selection process and releases the results of the test directly to the parent(s).

Education

ProTeen stays in contact with parents, educating them on which drugs are trending in the community at the time. By staying informed about the harmful substances that could be offered to their teen, parents and guardians stay ahead of the trends and know signs of abuse to be watching for. Red streaked eyes and mumbled responses could be a sign of drug abuse, or it could be a sign of exhaustion in your teen. As a member of the ProTeen program, parents have a resource to help them figure out what’s up with their teen.

What does ProTeen provide for teens?

A good reason to say “No!”

Prior to enrolling in the program, both parent (or guardian) and teen agree to a “contract” in which individualized incentives are outlined for the teen as a result of continually testing negative to harmful substances. For example, a family might agree to pay for a monthly cell phone contract or provide gas money for the teen’s car if the student will agree to random drug screens guaranteeing that they are abstaining from abusing drugs and alcohol. This gives the teen not only the benefit of the incentive, but also an easy “out” when peer pressure is a factor. Instead of having to come up with a reason why they aren’t drinking or doing drugs if their peer group decides to, the teen can say, for example, “My parents have me enrolled in a random testing program, and if I test positive I will lose my car.”

What can I expect?

The point of ProTeen’s testing programs is not to catch teens using drugs, but to provide them with an incentive to stay away from using even once. Statistics show that most people who abuse drugs and alcohol start using during their teenage years, and if parents can take a proactive approach while their teen is still living under their roof, hopefully a lifetime cycle of addiction can be stopped before it even begins. If a family wishes to enroll in the ProTeen program, here’s what they can expect:

  • Families will choose from two low-cost subscription plans. The first plan includes three tests per year ordered on a random basis. The second plan is for parents who feel they need more testing throughout the year due to concerns about friend groups or evidence of drug abuse. This program guarantees 6 randomly scheduled tests per year. Additional tests can be ordered at a discounted rate with either plan.

  • A contract should be created between the teen and their parents or guardians. Terms and conditions will be agreed upon, and ProTeen will assist with an online link to the parent/teen contract.

  • Chemnet (ProTeen’s parent company) will contact the parent at various times throughout the year to bring their teen in to a testing location, with no prior notice given to the teen. A professionally administered drug screen will be completed, and the results will be released to the parents or guardians.

No matter the results, ProTeen will work with the family to provide support and education.

If a parent enrolled in the program has a reason to suspect drug abuse before a test is scheduled, they can call at any time to request additional drug or alcohol testing at a discounted rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

The success of the this program requires parent support and involvement. To make the most of your investment, here are a few tips:

Communicate with your teen – Make sure they understand the reason you are providing this program is to equip them with tools when they are faced with peer-pressure. It is easier to say “No, I can’t do that because my parents have me drug tested”.

Complete a Parent Teen Contract – ProTeen has developed this tool for you and your teen to complete together. It is designed to open the line of communication between you and your teen. It lays out expectations for each of you, and also offers an incentive for participating and excelling in the ProTeen program.

Monitor your teen – As a subscriber of ProTeen, we will provide information on drug use trends for you to be aware of. This educations allows you to monitor your teen and others to identify if you have a reason to suspect substance abuse.

Address concerns you have with your teen – Keeping an open line of communication with your teen is so important. They need to know you are paying attention and willing to address these issues with them. Doing the right thing is not usually the most popular thing, this pertains to teens AND parents.

Teens can be very clever when it comes to cheating a drug test. There are many suggestions offered on line and from other peers. We encourage you to bring your teen to the testing facility and to be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior from your teen once they have been notified they are going for a test. We are trained professionals and have experience on what to look for, but we can use your help to make sure that your teen is not trying to cheat.

If your teen can provide a sample right away, testing is usually completed in about 15 minutes. If your teen is not able to provide a sample, we will provide water and wait for your teen to be ready. After 2 hours we will consider that your teen is refusing to test and the result will be documented as a refusal which is the same as testing positive.
If you would like to give your teen some water to drink on the way to the testing center, that is fine but we only recommend 20 oz. be provided.

For Random Testing, we will notify you when it is time to bring your teen in for testing. If you would like to purchase additional testing due to suspicion, just call the Chemnet office and we will help coordinate additional testing.

Membership includes Random selection notification and professional drug testing. ProTeen members will also receive trending drug use information so they know what items to be on the look out for.

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