Drug addiction is a serious problem. It is very difficult to beat the habit, even with intense treatment. The best situation is for a person to never begin using. Many people start using drugs in their teenage years. Teenagers are not developed fully and their brains are not able to comprehend how choices they make today could seriously affect their future. This is why parents have to step in and do what they can to prevent their child from ever using in the first place.
The Popularity of Opiates
Opiates come from a very natural place. They are the chemical found in poppy seeds. They have found many uses in medications for pain relief, such as morphine and codeine. They are also found in illegal drugs, like heroin. They can be synthetic in nature or semi-synthetic. All drugs in this category are considered controlled substances because they are highly addictive.
How Teens Get Addicted
Some teens may end up getting addicted to opiates because they were prescribed these medications by a doctor. However, more likely, they were exposed to them through friends or acquaintances. Teens who may know about the dangers of heroin may not understand that taking pills is the gateway to using heroin. They may not be aware that the pills they are taking contain the same addictive substance that illegal drugs do.
The scary part is that opiates are very easy to get addicted to. It can take as little as using the drug a few times to become seriously addicted. In addition, an addiction like this is not something that is hereditary. While addictions, like alcoholism, often occur in families, a person can become easily addicted to opiates, even if there is no family history of drug problems.
How to Spot an Addiction
The main signs of a drug addiction are found in how a person behaves. Those addicted to drugs often become secretive. They will start to lie. They will act differently, maybe even being short tempered or more emotional than usual. They may exhibit physical signs, like sweating excessively, vomiting, clumsiness or depression.
Other signs to watch for include a lack of personal hygiene, odd clothing habits (such as wearing long sleeves when it is hot), dropping grades at school and an avoidance of family. You may notice the teen begins acting out of character, such as bring louder or quieter than usual.
It is essential that parents keep an eye out for any signs that their child is using opiates. Parental involvement is important. Even if you seek treatment for your teen, the chances are good that the Elements treatment center will want you to be part of the treatment process, too.
Teens can easily become addicted to opiates. These drugs kill. In fact, in recent years, the number of deaths related to opiate use have soared. It has been said that someone addicted to opiates will only be able to get away from the drug two ways: death or treatment. If your child is using, then you should always work to get them into treatment.
