How to teens get hooked on heroin?
“Not my child.”
“He was only smoking weed.”
“It started with his wisdom teeth being removed and pain meds.”
“It was a sports injury and the pain meds helped.”
“It was only pot.”
“It’s not my teen.”
If you missed Heroin in the Heartland on 60 Minutes, take fifteen minutes to watch it.
These are not your typical stereotype junkies many parents imagine an addict to be, these could be your child. These are good kids making some very risky and deadly decisions.
I have been speaking to parents since 2001 and two of the biggest misconceptions that parents have is exactly what this segment shared:
- It’s not my teen/child.
- It’s only weed.
Hannah Morris on 60 Minutes said the following, while she was 15 years-old:
“It started with weed and it was fun, and I got to good weed . Went to– oh my gosh, I went to pills, and it was still fun. You know, Percocet, Xanax, Vicodin, all that kinda stuff. And then yeah, heroin. I started smoking it at first.”
Both of Hannah’s parents are professionals and live in an upper middle-class area. Hannah has been clean for a year and now attending college.
Don’t be a parent in denial.
Okay, marijuana is legal now, but get educated on it. It still has risk for youth and their brain cells – and more importantly when teens are buying it from dealers, it could be potentially laced with heroin. ABC 20/20 shared a segment on this a few years back – The New Faces of Heroin Users.
It’s basic economics, the dealers are going where the money is. – 60 Minutes
Parents need to learn more about heroin. They need to stop believing that it won’t or can’t happen to them. Heroin is deadly. Start talking about it – and don’t think of it as a stigma, but rather being proactive. Start chatting about the 60 Minute segment. How do you feel about all the pain meds or the fact some parents flippantly say – it’s only marijuana? This is not your parent’s weed. This is your teenager’s life.
Read: 5 Benefits of Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens.
Read: Goals of Behavior Modification Programs for Teens.
Read: Why Residential Therapy Works.
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If you are struggling with your teenager and have exhausted your local resources, learn more about how residential treatment can help your teen make better choices. Contact us today for a free consultation.
