Lena never thought she’d be calling us for a polygraph examination in Athlone when things started to go missing from under the kitchen sink and from the shed.

Coming unstuck

Lena had broken her favourite vase. It had been a gift from her grandmother and she loved it. Her grandmother had passed away a few years prior and there was no way she was getting rid of it. She knew she had some glue under the sink and as it had only broken in two places she was confident she could fix it. The glue was missing and she asked her son, Craig if he knew where it was. He said he’d needed some for a school project and so Lena went out and bought a new tube and fixed her vase. It looked great and she was really happy with it.

School Dropout

The next thing to go missing was her spray paint out of the shed. She’d wanted to spay a part of her car she’d damaged and when she asked Craig if he’d seen it, he again said he needed it for school.

Lena had been worried about Craig for some time. He used to be a bright and energetic lad but now he was moody and took little or no interest in his schoolwork. However, given these things he needed for school projects, perhaps his interest was renewed.

Confiding in a friend over coffee, she heard that a number of children had been caught in the area “glue sniffing“.  That rang alarm bells. She didn’t want her son be sucked into such a dangerous and potentially fatal world. When she got home she asked Craig whether he had really needed the glue and paint for his school projects.  He immediately went into defence mode which made Lena more suspicious.

Symptoms and tests

During the next few weeks Lena noticed Craig’s lethargy and apparent confusion over the slightest of tasks.  He complained about headaches almost every day.  So she arranged an appointment with their GP.  Craig emphatically denied inhalant abuse so the GP decided to run some blood tests. He explained to Lena that there are no specific tests that identify this type of abuse.

When Craig’s blood tests came back, the doctor found nothing untoward.  Craig was then sent for a CT scan. Again nothing was found.

In consultation with the GP, Lena told him she was considering getting Craig to have a polygraph examination in Athlone.  Both she and the GP believed Craig was being dishonest.

Polygraph examination in Athlone

Craig took a lie detector test the following Friday and by Saturday Lena had the answers she needed. Craig had been sniffing glue and also inhaling various other household products for quite some time. Fortunately, this was a habit rather than an addiction and with some help from the GP and counselling they pulled him through.

They moved to a new area. The experience scared Lena and she had to get Craig to a new school and surrounded by new people. Lena has told us that Craig is thriving again and we’re happy we were able to provide the help she needed.

Are you worried your child is doing something they shouldn’t? The lie detector test can be completed with a child as young as 16. If you’d like to discuss or order a polygraph examination in Athlone, you can call us on our free helpline – 85 176 3360. Alternatively, you can make a reservation using our secure online booking system.

A warning about household products

Products kept in the home such as glue, marker pens, and spray paints can be useful to have but what if they’re not used for their intended purpose? These types of things can be abused by teenagers and in the drug world they are labelled as “inhalants“.  Many products have a mind-altering effect when inhaled and can be very dangerous. It is uncommon for these substances to become addictive but with repeated and regular use they can be.

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