Some of the most abused drugs today are prescription medications. Xanax, Prozac, Oxycontin, Depakote, Adderol, Vicodin and all other types of anti this and that’s.
Who’s abusing them? Adults who are overmedicating and often in denial, saying they need the extra dosage and kids who are pilfering these meds from their parents and then selling them and/or taking them to get high. Often both within the same household.
The typical signs of use are tricky, even for the most aware parent or family member. First things first: Keep an eye on medication levels and know how much is being used and when to prevent theft or overuse. Don’t use beyond prescribed amounts — revisit your doctor to adjust levels if you need more relief rather than regulate on your own. Kids will often have mood changes, contempt, lethargy, apathy and keep irregular hours, but sober teens do this too. The best thing to do is sit down with your kids or family member and simply ask them. Without judgment and with total respect, just ask them.
Remember that just because someone you know may be using, they may not be an addict, yet. The span between using and addiction is precarious and short. Addiction sneaks up on you; no one starts out as an addict. When parents or others try to enforce a zero tolerance policy, this often makes thing’s worse as the user just becomes more secretive and more conflicts arise.
Unfortunately, as human beings we need to self-validate everything for ourselves. This means that even when people we trust tell us something is harmful, we don’t listen and insist on finding this out for ourselves. The average parent and person are ill-equipped to deal with a burgeoning drug or alcohol issue. A professional counselor who is trained in these discussions can help you evaluate the situation and offer advice on how to proceed. Sometimes you cannot get someone to stop right away. But by getting them educated on the realities and helping them at least slow down and regulate their use by putting limitations and boundaries they may act more responsibly and slowly begin to consider stopping. Don’t ever wait or lose your patience with a potential user, even yourself. Take the care to handle things right before it’s too late.
Scott Spackey is a CA. Registered Addiction Specialist, Interventionist, Life-Coach and Hypnotherapist.
For more information, please call 661-299-1966, email Scott@Life-Mind.com or visit www.LIFE-MIND.com .