Q - My son is 22 years old; I did not think he was a drug user, until recently when I was cleaning his room, where I found some injecting needles. I've been panicking all this time not knowing what to do and who to turn to for help.

A - Panic is an understandable and common reaction in a situation like this one.

At this stage however it would be wrong to jump to conclusions about the needles in your son's room. Your son may be using drugs and there are a wide range of substances which can be injected, including anabolic steroids for body building, stimulant drugs such as amphetamine and depressant drugs like heroin.

He may be storing the needles for someone else maybe a friend or a partner. He could have got the needles with the intention of injecting drugs and decided not to do it.

The only way to find out what is really going on is to talk to your son about it.

There are many things to consider such as; does your son know that you go into his room? Do you talk openly about most things or are issues such as drugs and sex taboo? How is your son likely to react, denial? anger? Or will he ask for help?

You may also wish to consider how you address the subject. Will you wait for him to bring it up? Will you bring up the subject? It will be worth thinking about previous experiences before you talk about the issue.

On the subject of where to go for help, there are many specialist services available in the North West; perhaps the most appropriate for your situation is Lifeline for Parents 0800 716 701 which is a Freephone service operating from Lifelines Manchester base.

The phone line is available between the 4pm-8pm Monday to Thursday.

The service is totally confidential so do not fear any breach of trust. If you talk to your son and he does feel that he needs the help of a local drug service, Lifeline East Lancashire 01254 677427 can provide information about all the relevant helping agencies.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH LIFELINE EAST LANCASHIRE