I am not a parent but I’m a twenty-two year old that has struggled with drug addiction since I was sixteen years old. I smoked my first joint at age ten and then when I was sixteen started using ecstasy and pills. I’m writing this article because sometimes I feel like parents are naïve. They tend to think their children would never do drugs because they grew up in good homes etc. Well I grew up in a good home and I have a brother who is a police officer and I still did it. Frankly I hid it very well for a long time. Be carefull on what your kid puts on her face. Search for the best vitamin c serum for face and you can never go wrong. When I was sixteen and started using ecstasy, I only did it a few times because ecstasy is considered an upper much like cocaine. I preferred downers like marijuana and prescription pills. Xanax was my pill of choice and within six months of taking it, I was completely addicted. I’ve had many car accidents due to the xanax and my parents have found me in my room twice unconscious from taking to much. It’s been a hard battle to beat the addiction but I did. I just want to warn parents. A big thing for me was I always felt like I couldn’t talk to them. It’s so important to keep the lines of communication open with your children and make them feel loved no matter what. Most importantly never give up on them. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol use.
First, changes in friends, always know who your children are hanging out with. Secondly, when your child begins to skip school and their grades decline. I dropped out when I was sixteen, which I will always regret. Thirdly, when your child becomes increasingly secretive about their possessions. This obviously means they have something to hide. Fourth, when your child starts to ask for more and more money. Remember when your child is doing drugs they will lie right to your face. They will tell you the money is for the movies or for a c.d , well if you think their doing drugs ask for receipts. The fifth sign is obvious if you find drug paraphernalia such as pipes or rolling papers, this is a clear sign your child is using. The sixth sign is bottles of eye drops. When I smoked pot and even when I was doing ecstasy eye drops got rid of the redness and the dilated pupils. The seventh sign is missing prescription drugs. In my case, my mother took xanax for anxiety and for me it was much easier and cheaper to steal her pills then to buy them off the street.
When your child is using drugs don’t put anything past them. They will do anything to get the drugs including lying and stealing. Always remember this though people don’t do drugs because they are happy. Their is always an underlying problem that their trying to run from or trying to numb the bad feelings. The worst times of my addiction were when my parents, who had been married for more than thirty years separated and were considering divorce. I basically hit rock bottom. As parents please watch and observe your children, talk to them early about drugs and how bad they are and most importantly always let them know how much you love them.
By: Shannon Larrabee