I know this is not what you want to read .... however, if you are reading it ... there is a reason ......A drug addict lives in their own world, whether they are nine or 29. A life full of fantasies, a life without any responsibilities and a life where there is no consciousness. Unfortunately, that is not the real life a human being is supposed to live. It is the not the life parents want their children to live.
The human life is full of responsibilities, whether you are a child or an adult, both to oneself and to the society in which we live. When a pre-teen or teen or young adult starts using drugs they fall into the pit of agony and self destruction. Some parents are so afraid to get their child help, stating it is just a phases, it is not that bad (that one always hurts when I hear it), or that their child may feel abandoned if they send them to get help.
Would you not treat a broken limb or any affliction in your child's body with great care?
The same applies here. Drug rehabilitation and residential treatment can and does work when it it the right treatment for the child, encompassing all of their needs, including academics. A child using drugs cannot be greatly successful in treatment and rehabilitation efforts individually.
It takes the entire family to be involved. And yes, that is hard work and at times very uncomfortable.
When needed, drug rehabilitation programs start with the detoxification stage. Here the supply of drugs is cut off totally and the harmful scum of drugs deposited in the body is washed off. Different medicines are used for people with different addition levels when the situation is severe. This period of time is the harshest for the addict as well as their family. Suppression of cravings for drugs is very painful for the addict.
Drug rehabilitation centers and residential treatment programs follow steps to make the addict comfortable at this stage. Once the cravings disappear, the addict is put through mental and physical therapies. It has been found that lack of mental strength is the biggest reason why people take drugs. Even for a child, self-abusing is a lack of mental strength. They take them to enhance their macho image, to feel better, to numb out.
Mental strength is essential for survival for a human being. Once found fit, the addict is taught some life skills to help them get back on track. Now the addict is as good as anyone around them. They can once again hold their head high. Success rate of drug rehabilitation programs and residential treatment centers is often in the high eighties. The earlier the intervention age wise, the better. Getting help at 10, 13, 17, is much easier than at 21, 25, 28 and even older. Parents can get their children help, and make it happen to save them.
Adults have to choose for themselves. Some do, some don't. Some survive, some die. Most rehabilitation centers and residential treatment centers hire experts after close scrutiny only. The staff requires not only technical expertise, they need to possess compassion.
Oh ... your child is not an addict? Was that word too harsh? Wait long enough ..... they can be!
I have assisted a nine year old girl who was addicted to her father's anti-anxiety medication. I have assisted a 12 year old boy who was addicted to cocaine. His parents are both CEO's of major companies. I have assisted a 16 year old girl who was a heroine addict. Her mother is the founder of her own company and very successful. Addicts are not dirty people on the street or from broken homes or those that you only see on TV.
They are right there in your home, on your block, in your schools, shopping at the local grocery store.
I have assisted numerous adults who were addicted to prescriptions drugs.
There is no age limit for an addict. Children can start using drugs at any time. They need you to be the one who gets them help. Believe me, they are counting on it!
We believe in the power of every family and individual we assist.
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