Today marks the beginning of a week dedicated to spreading the word about drug abuse presented by the NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse). Here is my message to both parents and teens based on my personal experience being the mother of a very intelligent, kind, funny and good looking young man who got addicted to heroin when he was 17 years old.
Message to parents:
Drug Awareness programs are not enough, believe me, your child WILL become aware of drugs and be offered them, sometimes as early as grade school but usually in Jr. High or High School. No amount of good parenting is going to stop a child that is pre-disposed to trying drugs. This is what I've learned from listening to hundreds of other parents. Its natural for us to say "my child is too smart for that...." but the fact is, most parents of addicts said the same thing.
So how do you prevent your child from trying RX or other drugs? You do your best by communicating openly, knowing what they are up to and knowing their friends and drug testing at home if you become suspicious. Educate yourself on the signs of drug use. Please, don't go into denial thinking your child is immune to this danger.
And, as much as I hate to say this, if they are going to experiment there is not much you can do to stop them. For me, the mistake I made was not understanding the seriousness of the situation when I first learned of it. My son became addicted after ONE TIME of using heroin. If I would have known then what I know now, I would have acted sooner, got him into a rehab immediately and perhaps he wouldn't still be struggling today, almost 4 years later.
I learned the most by becoming involved in the community of bloggers (listed in my sidebar) as we shared our journey's together. If you do find yourself parenting an addict: You need support! Please go to Al-Anon or read these blogs or find another way to connect with others who are going through the same thing!
Message to Teens:
Lecturing you won't help, you already hear about the dangers. I'll just tell you how its affected my son.
He started using at 17, today at age 20 he is sitting in jail wondering if he will miss yet another birthday and Christmas because of being incarcerated or in a rehab. He lost all his friends, his girlfriend, his car, all his material possessions except his clothes, his dignity. He was expelled from high school in his Senior year for being high and missed the prom, graduation, etc. He has almost died several times. He has lost 8 "friends" that accidently OD'd. He has never held a job and now has a felony on his record. I have lost track of how many times he's been in and out of jails and rehabs. He still has a family who loves him, but we can't trust him and have to lock up our belongings if he's going to be home, even for an hour. He'll turn 21 in December but it won't be a fun celebration with friends because he can't be out after 10 pm due to probation's curfew (that is if he's out of jail).
These are just a few of the ramifications of using drugs. The big ones are how sick you feel, how desperate you become, how you don't even recognize yourself because the person you once were has been taken over by the addict you've created (Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde). You will steal from your parents, sibling, friends and possibly commit burglaries or robberies to support you habit. You will exchange sex for drugs. You will live for the next fix because nothing else matters....this happens with RX drugs and heroin especially, its physically addicting, once you start, if you stop you get extremely ill and experience intense pain in your body.
For most addicts it takes around ten years or more to finally overcome, but even then they usually have lifelong obstacles to face (relapse, felony record). You will end up in jail sooner or later, its inevitable. And depending on your drug of choice - say goodbye to your good looks, you will lose them as well.
So, do yourself a favor and don't bother trying anything that could lead down this path of anguish for yourself and everyone in your life that cares about you. Check out Sara Bellum's blog, you will learn a lot here!
And, as much as I hate to say this, if they are going to experiment there is not much you can do to stop them. For me, the mistake I made was not understanding the seriousness of the situation when I first learned of it. My son became addicted after ONE TIME of using heroin. If I would have known then what I know now, I would have acted sooner, got him into a rehab immediately and perhaps he wouldn't still be struggling today, almost 4 years later.
I learned the most by becoming involved in the community of bloggers (listed in my sidebar) as we shared our journey's together. If you do find yourself parenting an addict: You need support! Please go to Al-Anon or read these blogs or find another way to connect with others who are going through the same thing!
Message to Teens:
Lecturing you won't help, you already hear about the dangers. I'll just tell you how its affected my son.
He started using at 17, today at age 20 he is sitting in jail wondering if he will miss yet another birthday and Christmas because of being incarcerated or in a rehab. He lost all his friends, his girlfriend, his car, all his material possessions except his clothes, his dignity. He was expelled from high school in his Senior year for being high and missed the prom, graduation, etc. He has almost died several times. He has lost 8 "friends" that accidently OD'd. He has never held a job and now has a felony on his record. I have lost track of how many times he's been in and out of jails and rehabs. He still has a family who loves him, but we can't trust him and have to lock up our belongings if he's going to be home, even for an hour. He'll turn 21 in December but it won't be a fun celebration with friends because he can't be out after 10 pm due to probation's curfew (that is if he's out of jail).
These are just a few of the ramifications of using drugs. The big ones are how sick you feel, how desperate you become, how you don't even recognize yourself because the person you once were has been taken over by the addict you've created (Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde). You will steal from your parents, sibling, friends and possibly commit burglaries or robberies to support you habit. You will exchange sex for drugs. You will live for the next fix because nothing else matters....this happens with RX drugs and heroin especially, its physically addicting, once you start, if you stop you get extremely ill and experience intense pain in your body.
For most addicts it takes around ten years or more to finally overcome, but even then they usually have lifelong obstacles to face (relapse, felony record). You will end up in jail sooner or later, its inevitable. And depending on your drug of choice - say goodbye to your good looks, you will lose them as well.
So, do yourself a favor and don't bother trying anything that could lead down this path of anguish for yourself and everyone in your life that cares about you. Check out Sara Bellum's blog, you will learn a lot here!
Peace, Hope and Love, Barbara
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