The Increasing Problems of Opiates and Other Substances of Abuse

Substance Abuse not only affects celebrities, it affects our children and teenagers directly and indirectly, is also inceasing in other age groups and is a tremendous cost to society as a whole.  I have watched  it increase quite rapidly in recent years, with entirely too much of it happening in our children and teenagers. Many things have been done to have stricter control of drugs of abuse,  break up some of the supply sources of these drugs, and make people aware of te problems, yet the problems seem to grow worse.  The best thing we have ever done in any area of medical care - and that should include substance abuse - is related to prevention, and often that prevention strategy is based mostly on education.   For this issue we need to educate as many people as possible about the very serious and costly problems that drug abuse creates for ALL of us, and especially educate our vulnerable young people about  how to avoid it, and the harm it can do to them physically, mentally and to their lives as adults.   More people, especially parents, need to  learn  how to recognize the signs and symptoms of substance abuse, know some of the things that drive that substance abuse, put preventive strategies in place as early as possible, and rather than denying that your child, spouse or other family member might do that, be willing to step up and do an intervention.   Even if they get really angry with you, it is much easier for all of you to get past anger, than to get past that person winding up dead!  That just generates even more pain for family, friends and other members of their social network and too often leads to copycat behaviors, includng death, in people who are already vulnerable because they are in emotional pain.  This program is aimed at giving you skills to prevent, recognize and intervene in problems involving substance abuse for your loved ones, or even yourself.