5 Clues You are Living with an Addict
A Personal Story
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. The fear that your child has a drug issue sometimes makes parents put their heads in the sand. The fact is, a 2017 study by the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics showed that 45% of male college students, and 43% of female college students, have used illicit drugs.
That does not mean that every one of those students will become addicted, but the research shows that people who began using addictive substances before age 15 are 7 times more likely to develop a substance problem than those who first use after age 21. Another report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), indicated that 74% of adults participating in a substance abuse treatment program started use of alcohol or drugs before the age of 17.
So how is a parent supposed to recognize when experimentation has become addiction? In my experience, there are some clear signs to watch for, some you would not expect.
#1. Did you fall in? Have you ever wondered what the heck the holdup is in the bathroom? If your adult child is suddenly spending an excessive amount of time in the bathroom, you may want to investigate. Listen for the flush! Check the surfaces in the bathroom for powder residue or pieces of magazine paper balled up in the trash. Drugs that Can be inhaled are often wrapped in magazine paper squares.
#2. Where are all my spoons?? This may seem like an odd clue, but it is a big one. Opioids can be melted and injected. This is done by crushing up pills like Oxycodone and heating them on a spoon to be melt and draw into a syringe. If you find your big spoons are missing or all blackened on the back side, it’s time for a confrontation.
#3. Wake up little Rosebud. Opioid addicts crash so hard that it is abnormally hard to wake them up. Normal sleep may cause some initial delayed reactions, but drugged sleep is very different. Opioids will cause pinpoint pupils and the person will appear drunk when awakened or they may not wake at all. Opioids can decrease a person’s breathing to dangerously low levels and this is frequently what causes death in overdose cases.
#4. I’m going out with so and so…if your son or daughter suddenly has a new set of friends, or is secretive about said friends, do some digging. Where did they meet, how old is this person, where do they live, etc. The more information you can gather about new friends, the better! Pay attention if the person wants to meet up at odd hours or if there are lots of frequent short visits. These are often “hand-off” visits, if your kid closes himself in his room or takes off shortly after the visit, they could be using substances.
#5. Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire. You run into one of your kid’s friends and ask how the camping trip was and they say “What camping trip?” or maybe it’s just catching a lot of inconsistencies in day to day conversations. This is a huge red flag. An addict almost always lies. Those I have known, lie so much, they begin to believe their own stories. It can be very difficult to get them to admit to the truth, even if you have proof.
So, if you notice any of these behaviors, don’t stick your head in the sand and hope it’s just a phase. Addictions don’t just ruin health, they ruin lives, they ruin futures and they ruin families.
Know the resources in your area, or call the SAMHSA National Hotline 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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By angelababya day ago in Psyche
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