Parents of Addicts Community Group
A safe group for Mothers and Fathers of addicts, where we can share feelings, and ask for feedback.
Do you think that this is going to be another missed opportunity for the media to address the potential dangers of prescription drugs and their addiction possibilities? It seems as though celebrity drug deaths are minimized because they are celebrities. I believe that this would be a great time to address the potential dangers of prescription medications.
I've experienced two "missed opportunities" in my son's situations that could have been helpful to us because I had no idea that prescription pain medications could be harmful. Two years ago my almost 16 year old son broke his nose (playing soccer) and needed surgery. I told the staff that I had concerns about him being "put under" because I believed he may be smoking pot or maybe even doing other drugs. They said that they would keep on eye on things. The surgery went well and then they gave us a script for a pain medication called Percocet. Since our son was seldom home (it was summer and he was difficult to keep track of) I feared he wouldn't be around to take his meds so what do I do? I give them to him. Fortunately, his backpack was found by a police officer, who was after some kids for park curfew violation (including my son) and the reason the officer knew it was my son's was because of the bottle of meds found in the backpack. There was also a pot pipe. Do ya think the Officer could have asked or informed us about this medication - knowing that my son had drug paraphernalia? Or do you think the hospital staff could have given us some information about the potential dangers of the meds they gave us? My son ended up re-breaking his nose a month later (a fight with a "good" friend) - when his usage escalated and we knew he had a real problem. So I take him to another hospital emergency room and tell them of his usage and about the fight. My son tried to tell them he broke his nose by falling off of a bike. Anyway, they made sure I called the police because they also didn't believe the bike story, either. They were more concerned about me reporting it then informing me that the Vicodin script they were prescribing had an addiction potential! Again - I had no idea! Fortunately, my son didn't become addicted to these meds BUT he did experiment with heroin. And prescription addictions are at their all time high! I wonder if "they" are being more proactive and have made changes since then.
I've experienced two "missed opportunities" in my son's situations that could have been helpful to us because I had no idea that prescription pain medications could be harmful. Two years ago my almost 16 year old son broke his nose (playing soccer) and needed surgery. I told the staff that I had concerns about him being "put under" because I believed he may be smoking pot or maybe even doing other drugs. They said that they would keep on eye on things. The surgery went well and then they gave us a script for a pain medication called Percocet. Since our son was seldom home (it was summer and he was difficult to keep track of) I feared he wouldn't be around to take his meds so what do I do? I give them to him. Fortunately, his backpack was found by a police officer, who was after some kids for park curfew violation (including my son) and the reason the officer knew it was my son's was because of the bottle of meds found in the backpack. There was also a pot pipe. Do ya think the Officer could have asked or informed us about this medication - knowing that my son had drug paraphernalia? Or do you think the hospital staff could have given us some information about the potential dangers of the meds they gave us? My son ended up re-breaking his nose a month later (a fight with a "good" friend) - when his usage escalated and we knew he had a real problem. So I take him to another hospital emergency room and tell them of his usage and about the fight. My son tried to tell them he broke his nose by falling off of a bike. Anyway, they made sure I called the police because they also didn't believe the bike story, either. They were more concerned about me reporting it then informing me that the Vicodin script they were prescribing had an addiction potential! Again - I had no idea! Fortunately, my son didn't become addicted to these meds BUT he did experiment with heroin. And prescription addictions are at their all time high! I wonder if "they" are being more proactive and have made changes since then.
It is a travesty of the truth when celebrities like Michael Jackson die of drug related circumstances and it is swept under the carpet. Instead of glorifying him as this awesome person, they should be letting the public know that drug addiction is a horrible thing and can kill people and educate the masses on just how pervasive and devastating it is. And not just prescription meds, all of it! My son started out on prescription meds and has now done EVERY drug there is. Now shooting heroin/cocaine. Prescription meds are just as harmful mentally, physically and emotionally as street drugs.
"there will always be drug abusers among us." A lot of people say that, and I don't accept it as a reason for not doing something about this problem of gigantic proportions.
Yeah - I am so glad that they are addressing our bottled water! Give me a break!
I'm no fan of Oprah, but I remember years ago, when Gary was a child, she had a show about how presciption drugs, even back then were a bigger problem than illegal ones.