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Health & Fitness

Tough Love: Talking to Your Family About Opiates

Opiates/heroin lead to severe dependency issues and are killing more people than ever. In 2012, almost 70 Lake County citizens died from an opiate overdose not including occurrences in suburban Cook.

Confusing as the notion may seem, talking to your loved ones about hard drugs, especially opiates and heroin, no longer starts and ends with “just say no.” We all wish the campaign developed by Ronald Reagan’s administration back in 1986 would have been a successful one. Times have changed and the conversation has changed, too. Changing a culture goes beyond prevention messaging and into the systems within a community - law enforcement, government, education, etc. -that support or influence the specific subject matter. A system like the one in your home. 

It starts with a general public awareness that we have a very serious problem with substance abuse, and that no one family or community is immune to addiction. This notion especially effects the communities surrounding Chicago - referred to by the DEA as the heroin hub - and in quick distance from the heroin highway (Interstates 290 and 88).

Did you know that Illinois is one of 16 states where more people die from overdoses than car accidents? To most people, that fact is probably shocking because it is not everyday that one would hear of an overdose event. In addition, the general stigmatic perception of opiate overdose victims is far from the reality. 

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The faces we once recognized as “more likely” to use opiates (including heroin) are now much lighter in color and increasingly less aged. These faces are often born from upper middle class families, from families of unconditional love and from parents who thought that protecting their children meant keeping them away from the dangers of the city and its influences. These faces are often miseducated by their medical practitioners about their opiate pain prescription pill dosage. These faces from the suburbs with a few extra dollars to spend and a lack of local entertainment options to enjoy, are frequent venturers of heroin’s city-based gang-run free market.

These are often kids who achieve well academically, participate in sports and extracurriculars, are faith-based and morally sound. These are often families who don’t consider that grandpa’s drinking problem may, in fact, show through in the behaviors of their offspring, as bloodlines often do. These are often families of divorce, domestic violence, inappropriate relationships and undiagnosed mental health disorders including substance use disorder.

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These are families with circumstances that may, in fact, contribute to an adolescent’s desire to escape. If you add up the potential factors for substance use disorder and/or drug misuse in each family in America, you might be terrified by the sum total.

The point is simple but it is a hard message to convey: NO ONE PERSON IS IMMUNE TO OPIATE ADDICTION IN 2013, INCLUDING YOU AND YOUR KIDS.

So, the question is, would you rather talk to your children about opiates and heroin now, or, risk what avoiding that conversation might cost you? I know what you’re thinking: 

“I don’t really know what to tell them about drugs. I don’t know what’s out there.” 

It’s okay. People still refer to the internet as the “world wide web.” It comes down to this: your knowledge of the available drugs and their effects will only reemphasize the urgency for these discussions. Educate yourself! What you will find out will shock you enough to want to have the conversation. Did you know that 61% of 8th graders think that trying heroin is not a big deal. You can learn more at The Partnership at Drugfree.org’s informative and interactive website for parents and communities about drugs, prevention, intervention, treatment and beyond. Also take a look at “A Parent’s Guide to the Teen Brain” to understand what’s going on in your teen’s developing mind. Adolescent mind + drug abuse = NOTHING GOOD.  

“I used drugs when I was their age, so I will look like a hypocrite for telling them not to use.”

Actually, admitting that you tried drugs (no matter how often and/or how much), might make your child feel like you are sharing something personal with them. Thus, initiating a closer, trusting bond. The conversation door has now opened. You now have the green light to share other facts such as...ingesting heroin is more detrimental to the body and more lethal than ever before. Also, a 6-pack of beer can be more expensive than a bag of heroin ($10-$20). 

“My son won’t even drink cough medicine or take an over-the-counter pain reliever, why would he use cocaine, opiate pain pills or other opiates like heroin?” 

Does your son have friends or is he trying to make a couple? If so, read on. Besides their parents, teenagers have the greatest influence on one another. Peer pressure still exists and won’t be going away any time soon. Your son’s fears may quickly fade the moment popularity or sex become options. The second he knows that his invitation to a party relies on whether or not he can handle a couple of Xanax, the cough medicine he was once afraid of may very well become his preferred escape route. On that note, keep in mind that prescription pain pills/opioids like Vidocin, Oxycodone, Demerol, Morphine and Fentanyl are an epidemic all their own, leading abusers to heroin as a cheaper and much stronger option.

If you have prescription drugs in your home, lock them up. If you no longer need or no longer use your prescription drugs, dispose of them immediately. The Lake Zurich Police Department has a prescripton drug collection and disposal program box in the lobby of their office. Contact your local police department or village office for information on a program in your area. 

“Shouldn’t we leave the teaching up to the professionals? They have an entire unit on drugs in health class.”

Newsflash: school curriculum’s have been teaching students about drugs for years, and the national overdose death tolls have never been higher. While school boards are finally beginning to realize that enhanced opiate education is critical, it will take time to implement effective information and strategies. Is it worth the risk of leaving it up to other influencers in your child’s life to teach them the government-approved facts about drugs in ineffective ways? School-based education is a good starting point, but it is not enough when it comes to drugs. Reinforcement is everything. It works in marketing campaigns for Nike, Target and Shell Gas. So why wouldn’t it work in your home?

“There’s no way MY KID is abusing opiates, so what’s the point of even bringing it up?” 

Your kid is a good kid and you are his/her loving and dedicated parent. So was my brother, Alex, and so were my parents, Jody and Gary. In December 2008, Alex died of a heroin overdose in our home at 20 years old. He was a sweet, compassionate, sensitive, generous and kind person, an exemplary student, fantastic athlete, loyal friend and an even better brother. But, he was also depressed and suffered in silence for years. Alex is one of thousands of youths who turned to drugs to escape reality and seek a place of solace and contentment. Variations of Alex’s story are told among other kids in towns across the country, including Buffalo Grove. It can happen to any kid for so many different reasons. Educate yourself so you know what those reasons are and what to look out for in your home.

For more information please check out Live4Lali.org or Live4Lali's Facebook page

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