#helpforaddiction

You may have read the news story about the Ohio parents who wrote in their 18-year old daughter’s obituary that she died of a heroin overdose.

Stories like this, while seemingly rare, are a growing reality.

 I don’t know many communities that haven’t been affected by heroin use.  Too many kids have died from overdosing, and addiction is a big problem for many families right now. The statistics are showing that overdose from heroin has literally quadrupled since 2002.

 During the three years that I worked as a spiritual counselor at a rehab in Malibu, I worked with kids detoxifying from a variety of substances.

Absolutely the worst, in my opinion, was heroin.

 Heroin takes way your enthusiasm for life, detaches you from your sense of self, and isolates you from your family and friends. It seems to take everything away and when you're detoxing you think you're dying, literally.

 Why do I bring up this conversation?

 Because it's important, it has to be addressed and focus put on the solutions.

 A part of the solution is to recognize when a child is having symptoms of depression and/or unmanageable anger, showing a lack of focus, or withdrawing from family and friends. When you see these, know that they could be precursors for self-destructive behaviors – including drug use. It is so important to engage your kids, have a dialogue. Help them, or get help that can assist in creating their ability to own their confidence, manage anxiety and bring down the level of stress.

 The earlier you get help, the better the chance of your kid owning their confidence and their ability to make responsible choices.

 If you are worried about your child and you need help opening a dialog with them, please feel free to contact me for a consultation. I facilitate workshops for teens and various programs for parents.