Dr. Drew: Parents should worry about teens, prescription drugs
Addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky has teamed up with Smart Moves, Smart Choices to draw awareness to prescription drug abuse by teenagers.
Dr. Drew says the casual use by parents of prescription drugs send the message that they are harmless to kids. He says parents should be using lock boxes for their prescription drugs to send the message that they are to be treated with care and respect. Here’s more from a Q&A with Dr. Drew.
“Our general attitude toward prescription drugs is that they’re going to make our lives happier and better. Pills are designed to treat medical problems, not to make life easier. [Adults think] you can use these things without consequences, and adolescents don’t see the long-term horizon.
[Among teens] there’s a general note of, What’s the big deal? They’re given by doctors, mom and dad use them, how harmful could they be? And oh by the way, they really do get me high. They work, and I can steal them right out of my own medicine cabinet. I don’t have to go get them from the guy on the street corner!”
“Then how are teens getting their hands on the pills?
Sixty-four percent of [drugs come from] from a friend or relative. There are a lot of pills out there lying around. Sometimes [kids are] stealing from a friend. It’s so pervasive and handled so causally in the home that kids can steal an entire bottle of pills and no one notices.”
“Take us through the drugs of choice — what are the kids into these days?
Different cultures have different drugs of appeal. The general classes are benzodiazepines (like Xanax and Valium), psychostimulants (Adrerall and Ritalin) and opiates (Oxycontin, Vicodin and codeine).
The psychostimulants — meds used to treat ADD and ADHD — are big on college campuses. They’re widely available because many [students] are on them for functional purposes to study. They’re dangerous because they can trigger manic episodes and depression.
The most problematic class is the opiates. These are the painkillers, a giant class. You name the painkiller, it’s abused by kids.”
There is a lot more information in the interview so please click on the link.
This really makes me think. I have most of our medicines way up high in my closet but I do have a couple of things that I use every day in a more convenient spot. I wonder at what age they need to be locked up and not just put away or behind a baby lock?
Where are you storing your prescription drugs? Do you think your tween/teens are getting into them? Would you know? Do you count pills? Are you aware of the quantity? Do you hide or lock your prescription drugs away?
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43 comments Add your comment
TallMom
October 20th, 2011
6:50 am
There have been a couple articles in the AJC recently about heroin…it’s the new suburban teen drug…and it starts out with prescription drugs.
Kids start out using Rx drugs but these are harder and (believe it or not) more expensive to get. One Oxycontin pill can cost as much as $85…but for $15 they can head down to The Bluffs and buy enough heroin for a good high.
Opiate addiction is the WORST form of addiction…we’re talking YEARS of rehab, therapy, treatment, etc…it destroys families, lives….everything.
If locking up my prescription drugs can help keep my kids from experimenting with opiates…I’ll definitely do it. Kids don’t “experiment” with pot or alcohol anymore…it’s all about what they can find in their parents’ medicine cabinet.
Trust me people…you don’t want to experience the HELL that comes with opiate addiction…I NEVER thought this is where I’d be or where my child would be…but here we are…..
shaggy
October 20th, 2011
7:05 am
“The psychostimulants — meds used to treat ADD and ADHD — are big on college campuses. They’re widely available because many [students] are on them for functional purposes to study. They’re dangerous because they can trigger manic episodes and depression.”
Yah Think? Sure, I want my kid on this stuff, to get him ready for college. Then, he will be conditioned properly like the other “disabled” kids, who can’t/won’t study.
Nah…I’ll just teach him values, with boundaries that are reinforced by example, and discipline. Sure, he won’t like it now, but he will love me for it later, and that is all that I care about…his later. I will take care of the now.
If mom and dad take a little pill for everything, don’t be surprised when junior follows suite. Heck, you would be setting a better, healthier example to just use weed. At least that won’t harm them.
Jeff
October 20th, 2011
7:18 am
I see adults pass around pills at work and have for years. Sleepy? Try one of Sally’s pills. Depressed? Try one of Bob’s. Anxiety? Try Becky’s.
It’s kind of hard to imagine that since it’s prevalent in the adult culture, it’s not prevalent in the culture of teenagers.
Fred
October 20th, 2011
7:54 am
Gee Jeff, you work with a bunch of weirdo’s.
mystery poster
October 20th, 2011
8:00 am
Hmmm….
We diagnose kids with ADHD at four years old and medicate them.
Then, we wonder why they turn to prescription drugs when they’re teens?
RJ
October 20th, 2011
8:14 am
This isn’t a problem in my house because I rarely even fill the prescriptions doctors give me unless I absolutely need it. Sometimes I find doctors too happy to give me some sort of drug when I don’t even think I need it. I hate taking medication which I guess is why I only gave it to my son for just a year for ADHD (actually it wasn’t really a year because he only took it on the days he went to school). I won’t even take medicine for a cold. I just let it pass.
oneofeach4me
October 20th, 2011
8:33 am
Medicating a child/adolescent for things like ADHD/ADD should STILL require the parent, the adult, to be the one in control and in charge of dispersing the meds. Kids who take these meds (and I know a few) for an actual condition do not abuse them. It’s the kids looking for a high, the one’s that aren’t suppose to have them, that will abuse it.
Kids shouldn’t be taking pain meds AT ALL. That is what ibuprofen is for. I was on pain meds after my Cesarean section with my son, and even for me, it was HARD to come off them. They are extremely addictive and it’s scary how fast you become addicted to them. As an adult I was able to tell myself I didn’t need them anymore, but I am not so sure a kid could do the same.
RX abuse by teens today is prevalent because they are accessible and because when parent’s talk to their kids about drugs they don’t think to include these “pills” in the talk. It’s also easy to walk into mom and/or dad’s bathroom and just take a pill out of the bottle. We lock all our prescriptions up and the kids (10 & 6) do not know where they are. I will continue to do this as long as they live in my house and I already include the talk of RX pills when my oldest and I talk about drugs. I wish that weed was the worst of my worries (for my kids) as an adult… cause that’s not much to worry about.
JJ
October 20th, 2011
8:56 am
There are NO prescription drugs in my home, other than my blood pressure medicine.
My daughter has been educated on pills, drugs, sex, STD’s, etc. We had an open dialogue when she was growing up……I’m not worried about her with pills. I worry about if she will have enough money for rent and her bills…….but not about pills. She’s way to smart to get sucked into something that stupid.
homeschooler
October 20th, 2011
9:01 am
Here’s another problem. Energy drinks. The kids are downing two or three a day. They build up a tolerance to them and then go looking for something stronger like adderall. Then they turn to meth to get the same type of high. I completely consider energy drinks a gateway drug to other stimulants.
Heroin is a big, big, problem as is opiate addiction. Both end up leading to people being Rx’d methadone to come off of them and that leads to more problems. I have seen so many people on methadone lately that abuse it and mix it with Xanex to get the same high that they got on heroin.
My close friend is back in college at age 40. She has been told by the 18-25 crowd that “everyone” takes adderall if they want to stay awake to study for a test. They buy it from friends and campus drug dealers.
Working for DFCS, I see first hand how Rx drugs can destroy a family every bit as quick as meth, cocaine and heroin. Because of my experience, my kids have heard about every form of drug use since they were in diapers. I can’t see locking up medications (not that I usually have any) when they are teenagers but I would definitely notice if they were missing and would be drug testing my child immediately.
I have a friend with three teenage girls. They talk openly about sex, drugs etc.. she is a nurse so she has a lot of factual, graphic information about STD’s, effects of drugs etc. She always says “I fill my kids heads with facts and leave my opinions out of it.” The kids seem to respond better when she is not telling them what to do or what not to do. Seems to work for her.
JOD
October 20th, 2011
9:27 am
@TallMom – How awful. Your family will be in my prayers.
This stuff just blows me away – picking through your parents’ cabinets for a cheap high, considering shooting up heroin in the ghetto… Wow, just wow.
@homeschooler – Hubs has some pretty graphic pictures from work, too. I think they will come in handy once we start having these discussions.
Techmom
October 20th, 2011
9:44 am
I can’t stand pain meds; they make me sick and I would rather feel a bit of pain by just taking Motrin than be loopy and feeling the urge to puke. My son however, likes the way it makes him feel. BIG RED FLAG! He had to have hernia surgery when he was 13 and that’s when we found out. I took the drugs away on the 3rd day and gave him Mortin and hid the rest of the bottle. The same thing when he had to have stitches after cutting his hand open this summer. I have warned him that he needs to be really, really careful about taking medications b/c he’s the type of person who will become addicted. I don’t know if he’ll listen but I only hope and pray he never has any serious medical conditions that prompt a doctor to prescribe pain meds regularly.
I do think the energy drinks can lead SOME kids to other drugs but I don’t think it will lead everyone. People react differently to different substances (exactly why I hate pain meds but my son could probably get addicted to them). The kids who go from the energy drinks to drugs are probably the kids who would started smoking cigarettes as teenagers if the energy drinks weren’t around. It’s just the legal ‘drug’ of this generation.
Needed help
October 20th, 2011
9:49 am
Opiate addiction ruined me. I’ve broken my back several times and live in constant pain. I was given opiates to help the chronic pain that I deal with. After a while the amount that I was prescribed stopped working so I tok extra, then I realized I felt better emotionally when taking them. This lead to the addiction and eventually to job loss. It is a horrible cycle to be in. I’m happy to say I was able to stop the opiates cold turkey and haven’t gone back. The thought of losing my current job and suffering like I did scared me into stopping. Lock up any medications so your children can’t get them. I hope that will help stop the heartache, grief and loss of quality of life that I went through. Life still isn’t perfect and I kick myself daily for losing my career. I was such an idiot.
downsouth
October 20th, 2011
9:55 am
Mother’s Little Helper – The Rolling Stones
from their 1966 release “Aftermath” (a great record btw)
love the sitar-sounding electric 12 string and Wyman’s bass on this
What a drag it is getting old
“Kids are different today,”
I hear ev’ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she’s not really ill
There’s a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day
“Things are different today,”
I hear ev’ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband’s just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day
Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old
“Men just aren’t the same today”
I hear ev’ry mother say
They just don’t appreciate that you get tired
They’re so hard to satisfy, You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimize your plight
Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old
“Life’s just much too hard today,”
I hear ev’ry mother say
The pusuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper
They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day
JJ
October 20th, 2011
10:20 am
Thank you Rolling Stones….
Jackets '10
October 20th, 2011
10:27 am
Shaggy, I agree. The kids I knew in college that took Adrerall and Ritalin were usually the procrastinators, kids with little to no work ethic, or didn’t have enough discipline to turn off the xbox to study. Very few, if any actually had ADHD or ADD. They also happened to have the most trouble with other substances.
Been there
October 20th, 2011
10:31 am
My husband is on pain meds for chronic back pain. A little over two weeks ago, my 16 yo daughter took an entire bottle from his top bathroom drawer. We never could get her to confess nor were we able to find the pills but we know she took them. We now have a lock on our bedroom door to ensure this never happens again. Sad we have to lock up our own home from our own children.
Me
October 20th, 2011
10:42 am
We’ve always educated ours and we keep any prescription meds locked up in our master bathroom. The two girls are grown and “on their own” so to speak so not too much we can do regarding their decisions. The 16-year-old that is still at home will barely even take Ibuprofen for a headache much less anything else.
DoctorsKid
October 20th, 2011
10:57 am
ALthough this seems like obvious advice, it is important to get out there. We had a friend stay with us years ago, he was 23 and he combed our cabinets and bathrooms looking for pills. The sad thing – he was in paramedic school and he was going to be around strong meds and I seriously doubt he would be able to resist them. he moved away after school and we lost touch, so we don’t know what happened to him. Not only will kids take the Rx pills to get high, they will sell them to make $$, which is a felony. As for the folks with chronic pain, I don’t doubt for a minute that you are hurting, but please know that as your body becomes addicted to the pills, it will hurt more so you will take more meds.
JohnsCreekMom
October 20th, 2011
10:59 am
Parents, also keep up to date on the so called, “choking game.” I work at a high school and just the other day we received word that a student’s younger brother was found in his bedroom closet with a belt around his neck after trying to get a “high” from cutting off his circulation to his brain. What is going on with our boys (I say boys because stats show that more of them choose this activity than girls) that they can’t find something constructive and meaningful to do to keep themselves content? Please educate yourselves about this phenomenon. It is occurring too often and the consequences are always fatal. This behavior doesn’t involve the use of any drug. Just wanted to put this out while we are discussing what parents should worry about.
TallMom
October 20th, 2011
11:07 am
Thank you @JOD.
My daughter graduated high school (AP/Honors student, dual enrollment her senior year) in May…she entered rehab for heroin addiction on September 1st. 3 months and 3 days after graduating high school, my daughter entered rehab as a heroin addict.
She didn’t get rx meds from my home…we don’t have those here…we don’t even keep alcohol on a regular basis. She befriended a girl shortly after graduating who introduced her to opiates…which quickly led to heroin. My daughter had an apartment (with her older sister), a great summer job and was returning to college in the fall (she completed her senior year of high school while being a freshman in college…dual enrollment)…and then she met CT.
I have beaten myself up over “where did I go wrong”…I am horrified by the person she’s become and in such a short time.. I’m not a fool, I’m very familiar with drug use…she was NOT using while she was living with me, that I know. My husband claims she was always “too good”…and once she got a little freedom, she went crazy with it. I suspected something was going on within 3 weeks of her moving out…things weren’t adding up…strange behavior…new “friends”…I confronted her and her response was to cut me off.
She entered rehab on 9/1…relapsed 5 days before she was due to be released and left rehab. She decided to return to rehab for a 6 week stint after being out for 5 days. She’s still there.
I don’t know who this person is anymore. She is not the child I raised, loved, admired and respected.
The girl who introduced her to heroin…it’s a good thing I have self-control…but I hope the rest of her life is a living hell.
Jeff
October 20th, 2011
11:13 am
Fred, the ironinc part is that I work in health care.
JJ
October 20th, 2011
11:27 am
@Tallmom I am so sorry!!! If there is anything I can do, I would love to help out….even just a shoulder to lean on!!!!
JJ
October 20th, 2011
11:30 am
Oh and do you know this girls’ parents? I’d sure let them know…..
JJ
October 20th, 2011
11:34 am
I am SOOOOOOOOOO thankful I never got sucked into that drug culture. I’ve experimented and tried several things, but I never wanted to feel out of control, so I never really bothered with them. I have had NUMEROUS friends in rehab, AA, etc…..And I’ve had numerous friends, and one family member, die of overdoses…….NO THANK YOU!!!!
oneofeach4me
October 20th, 2011
11:43 am
@tallmom ~ don’t give up, never give up.. just don’t enable the drug abuse and self mutilation. I worked with a lady once, who’s oldest daughter got hooked on heroin at 16. She had a baby with her “herion” introducer. DFACS took the baby from her and the father’s parent’s raised it for the first 6 years or so. It took multiple stints in rehab and a few years for her to get clean. She is now in college, has another kid with a new man and has custody of her daughter back. You have to find what means the most to her (your daughter) and use that as her motivation to get clean. Just be prepared that it may take a while.
shaggy
October 20th, 2011
11:45 am
The opiates are llike practically every other “gift” we have on this planet…made into something slick, westernized for industrial strength use. The opium poppy promises to relieve so much suffering, but here come the humans, to refine it, package it, and yep…here it comes…profit from it, whether legally or illegally.
Even cocaine, in it’s natural form is really a magic plant. There are people that chew the coca leaf every day of their life, from early childhood, and these same people routinely live to be well over 100 years old, some are said to be 130. Plus they live in a harsh, unforgiving environment…the coca leaf helps them manage that. Yet, leave it to the westernization, for their own good, to make crack out of the same coca leaf. Why do you think that and more (think those lines you snorted when YOU were in college) came to be?
TallMom
October 20th, 2011
11:49 am
The girl’s parents know…she also went to rehab recently, so they’re aware.
I’m trying not to give up…she’s shut me out again (because I wouldn’t help her when she left rehab early) and she’s lying to those who are trying to support her. She is STILL talking to CT and denying it, but I have written proof…my daughter’s supporters still want to deny it and my daughter will deny it, but I have proof. She’s not going to recover when she’s reminiscing about heroin with her junkie friend.
I have 3 young children who don’t understand what’s going on and I need to protect them. This has ripped our family apart…so much damage.
JJ
October 20th, 2011
12:04 pm
Again, Tallmom, so sorry you have to go through this. I don’t know if I could. But NEVER give up on your child…..we are all here to support you!!!!
Been there
October 20th, 2011
12:16 pm
TallMom, I too am sorry and afraid I may be going down the same road you’re traveling now one day. I don’t know what’s changed my daughter so much in the last year. Like you’re daughter, I believe one freind has introduced her to all this. I even left her in jail for two weeks with a week of a mental hospital after. She’s about to turn 17 so hoping to encourage her to enlist in the service. What sucks it she’s such a beautiful smart girl to be throwing it all away at such a young age. She hasn’t snuck out since she was incarcerated but I not getting my hopes up too much yet. I can only take one day at time and tell her I love her everyday.
shaggy
October 20th, 2011
12:34 pm
Sadly, there are many, many, many, “that one girl…or guy for that matter” who will share their experience with those innocent of them. Misery loves company, so the saying goes.
That is why sheltering, helicoptering, whatever’ing just plain doesn’t work. Actually, it sows the seed for disaster to happen, because the kid hasn’t had a chance to develop their character…they developed mom and dad’s character.
JJ has the right take on being completely open with them, and never, never the “do as i say do” It is about example…real example…even the bad stuff you might not be proud of. Tell them (and mean it) you aren’t proud of mistakes you made, even if it’s just feelings of guilt from getting away with something.
TallMom
October 20th, 2011
12:49 pm
Believe me Shaggy, I’m not a helicopter parent. I believe children learn through experiences both good and bad. My daughter was very academic…thrived on learning…and that’s what she threw herself into. I never pushed her into it, it was what she loved.
I can tell you that her friends and family are blown away by what’s happened. She’s always been a tough, independent girl who didn’t cave into peer pressure…she had goals and plans to achieve those goals. She had earned our trust many times over. She worked hard in school, spent time with our family and hung out with friends. She was a NORMAL kid. My husband says TOO normal, but then again, I was that way and certainly didn’t become a heroin addict.
shaggy
October 20th, 2011
1:04 pm
TallMom,
Sorry for the generalization. In your daughter’s case it doesn’t apply. Don’t give up. I have known some really bad junkies that cleaned up and turned away from drugs, because they decided they wanted to live. One in particular took up serious climbing…himalaya stuff…to beat his demons.
Wayne
October 20th, 2011
1:17 pm
@Shaggy: My wife and I have had some differences when it comes to our boys. She wants to protect/shield them from everything. I don’t. If it’s a real safety issue, then I’ll step in but really, putting a fence around the yard in the event that an animal that may or may not have rabies comes in and bites one of ‘em? No. Be outside to watch them as they play on the playscape and climbing dome? No. “they might break something” yeah, well then we’ll go to the hospital and get it fixed. Ya can’t watch them every second of every day. You’ll drive yourself nutty. Give them the basic values/information and be there when they need support.
Techmom
October 20th, 2011
1:50 pm
Tallmom – wow, so sad. Thank you for sharing your story though. I think sometimes we see these articles and think, “nah, not me, not MY kid”. But these kids are someone’s kid.
tracey
October 20th, 2011
8:11 pm
it’s scary the stuff you have to think about. i don’t hide pills, then again the strongest thing in my house in benadryl. i don’t like pain meds. i have taken them, for migraines and back surgery, but i’d just as soon take motrin. tallmom, you are in my prayers.
djs_NC
October 20th, 2011
8:43 pm
my 30 yo son has been addicted to pain pills since he was 17. at least that is when it became obvious to me. i can sympathize with tallmom and the others who have experienced this. he has been straight off and on…in the last few years it has escalated. he has stolen medicines from me. i now have to take any meds i am on every where i go. he is living in my home again….he was in jail for a year for possession charges. the last 17 years have been a living hell for my family. he now has broken every rule i gave him regarding moving back in here….so now i am having to put him out on the street. there comes a time when you just have to let it go-he makes the choices to do what he does. one part of me has sympathy for him-but i just cant live like this anymore.
!techmom—be very very alert to your son. he is a perfect one to become addicted to these drugs. i missed so many signs with my son-whether it would have helped or not i have no idea. but ican promise you that having an addicted child is the worse thing in the world.
my son was an honor student-he had a full ride to Duke U….had the world in his hands..he preferred the pills in his hands. my youngest daughter grew up with this and she is very anti drug. for a long time she wouldnt even take meds that she needed for certain procedures. she has now realized that medicine is for a purpose and you dont have to abuse it. i heard her telling her friend once then they were 14…you never know if you are one who will become addicted-so why take the chance just to have a good time. very good advice i thought.
i always hear that one has to reach their rock bottom before they will get help-i am to the point that i believe my son’s rock bottom is going to be his grave. that sounds harsh i know….but he just wont stay off of them for long at all. he has wrecked his life.
just for your info—possessing 7 or more opiates illegally is a trafficking charge-at least here in NC it is. and dont ever ever think it wont happen to your kids—no one would have ever thought my son would turn out this way. i dont know the answer to what to do about this problem…it is just geting worse all the time. but keeping your own meds locked up is a start. and when they are teenagers even talk to the parents of the kids your kids spend time with at their homes. having great and open communication is vital….but i had that with my son and it didnt help.
at the first sign of any kind of drug abuse like this get help as fast as you can.
Denise
October 20th, 2011
11:48 pm
I keep rereading some of your stories and feel sad. I have so many fears for when I’m a parent and drugs and alcohol are high up on the list. My brother is an alcoholic – as was my father – and also takes drugs. It is hard for me to understand because I do not have an addictive personality and I don’t think I am physically capable of becoming addicted. I say that because before I get a good buzz I throw up so I don’t ever enjoy enough alcohol to really become addicted to it. Plus I take medication and shouldn’t drink anyway. Additionally I will either get nauseous or sleepy if I take too much pain medicine so I never get any positive impact from that either. I’m glad for it. My problem is that I don’t really UNDERSTAND HOW my brother became addicted to alcohol after seeing our father drink. (My father stopped drinking cold turkey in 1993 for Lent. My brother has not been able to do that.) It doesn’t make sense to me. I need to go to Al-Anon meetings to help me understand what my role needs to be for my brother. I don’t know how to help and what to do because he has so far refused to get help. I hate to say it but I’m glad that I don’t live back home because I get stressed out from here. I have a lot of sympathy and empathy for you parents who have children that are addicted because you can’t give up on your family (I can’t either but I’m not there 100% of the time). God bless you!
djs_NC
October 21st, 2011
7:00 am
denise…the question i would (and do) have is….why do people who know they have that genetic dispostion even take their first drink or drug? i have tried forever to understand that. i am gettting my BA in psychology and next semester i will take ‘the psychology of adiction’. i am really looking forward to maybe finding some answers. if there are any. i have studied this on my own and have yet to find any answers.
Denise
October 21st, 2011
9:34 am
djs_NS – I wish I knew! I really do! My mother is not a drinker but she has an addictive personality. She just quit smoking after 40+ years but she gambles like a fool and even she says she could get addicted to pain medication in a snap. I don’t know what my brother “is thinking” but I think that is the problem. People don’t think it will happen to them. It is a sickness like everything else. I have bipolar disorder (another family “gift”) and I am very diligent about the caring and feeding of my disorder so that helps me stay away from drugs and alcohol but the main thing is the FEAR of what it could do…even though, like I said, my body’s chemistry would reject it before I could enjoy it. Thank God for that. I don’t understand why my brother doesn’t see the damage he is doing to his family and quit but I know deep down – especially dealing with my own mental illness on a daily basis – that he really CAN’T just quit. He’s too far gone to quit without intervention that he is just not interested in. I hope you get some answers and share them with us. PLEASE share them with us, even if you have to hijack the topic :-)
catlady
October 21st, 2011
1:47 pm
I feel so sad when I hear these stories.
My son (who we now know suffers from PTSD) was in a rehab facility for a year for alcohol. It was hard but he “graduated” and within weeks was back on tobacco and alcohol. He suffers the consequences of these decisions every day, and I fear so much for him.
My grandfather was an alcoholic. He died before I was born, but I know I never want to be involved with that. I have tasted alcohol but thank God! don’t like the taste so I stay way away from it and the other drugs. I am sure I would be in the gutter if I allowed myself to get involved with any of that.
I pray for all who are suffering.
djs_NC
October 22nd, 2011
5:13 am
@brandt hardin….what you said is so true. prescription drugs are the worst. they are easy to get…easy to get addicted to and so very hard to get off of. opiates (pain killers) are as bad as heroin. as someone else said, heroin is making a big come back due to its cheapness in comparison to the expense of prescription pain meds. i know that people pay up to $40 or more for ONE pill depending on what it is. people actually get their prescription and sell the whole thing for $1000 or more dollars. our war on drugs has gone no where. the drug problem is worse than ever.
TallMom
October 22nd, 2011
5:13 pm
I just want to tell you how much I appreciate everyone’s support…it means more than you know.
And to others facing this same situation…I’m so sorry…I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
I hope things turn around for all of us…I want my sweet girl back. I miss her so much it hurts to breathe.
((HUGS)) to all of you for allowing me to share my story and not ripping me a new one…Lord knows I’ve beaten myself up over this….
djs_NC
October 22nd, 2011
9:07 pm
ditto TallMom <3