Substance Use Disorder is a disease, not a choice
Awareness and Early Education…
…will save our children from the Substance Epidemic that is plaquing our communities. The teenage years can be tough, and the teenage years are an extremely vulnerable period when a young person may start experimenting with drugs and other substances. We need to teach them about the challenges they will face and how they can manage them safely.
If you think your child may be misusing substances, here are some common physical signs to look for:
• Fatigue and drowsiness, changes in sleep patterns.
• Pinpoint pupils, dark circles under the eyes
• Rapid weight loss
• Deterioration of hygiene or personal appearance
• Health complaints such as being constipated or experiencing nausea.
• Isolating oneself from family and friends and/or change in friends.
• Skipping school or work, drop in grades or performance
• Lack of interest in hobbies and recreational activities
• Mood changes such as agitation, increasing depression or anxiety
• Asking for more money for questionable reasons or missing money or valuables
• Missing prescription medications
• Empty pill bottles
• Prescriptions filled at the pharmacy that you weren’t aware of
• Small bags or folds often marked with names like “Crazy Horse” or “Superman”
Have a calm, honest conversation with your kids…
• What have you heard about Fentanyl and opioids?
• What do you know about them and how addictive they are compared to other substances?
• Does anyone in your school take or sell pills? Do any of your friends?
• What would you say if you’ve been offered a pill? There are ways to say no.
• What are the signs of an overdose? What would you do if you witnessed someone overdosing?
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND DISORDER IN OUR COMMUNITIES (Fentanyl Kills)
What Is the Effect of Drugs in the Community?
EVOKE WELLNESS, WALTHAM AUGUST 24, 2021 DRUG ABUSEDrug addiction does not only affect the individual, but it also affects your family, friends, co-workers and it even affects your whole community.
When people engage in drug activity, they don’t realize their addiction affects more than just them. It affects friends, families, co-workers, and even though many don’t realize it, their community. Communities also suffer from the effects of drug addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) statistic, overall, substance abuse costs the United States more than $740 billion a year in terms of health care, work productivity, and crime; of that figure, illicit drug abuse45 costs $193 billion and prescription opioid abuse costs another $78.5 billion.0.01
The impact of drugs on the community is wide-ranging and staggering. For instance, a greater amount of drug abuse on the streets means drug-related crimes, which, therefore, the community must fund more police officers, and jails must hire more staff because of an increase in the number of inmates. In addition, from all the drug-related crimes, courts can become overwhelmed with too many drug cases, and the victims may also pay costs from their property getting damaged.
If a community repeatedly has drug-related crimes, it could gain a reputation for “bad” neighborhoods and experience a loss of property values and sales tax revenue as people move out or avoid visiting or living there.
Other Effects of Drugs on the Community:
· Increase in child custody losses
· Increase in child abuse and neglect
· Increase in addiction risks for children of drug-addicted parents
· Increase in domestic disputes
· Increased rates of homelessness and poverty
· Substantial financial health care burden Increased rates of co-occurring mental disorders
· Increase in insurance premiums, taxes
· Increased strain on co-workers
· Increase in the number of people incarcerated in state and federal prisons
· Increase in rates of violent crimes on college campuses
· Losses in revenue for businesses and universities
Effects of Drugs on the Individual
Suppose an individual has been abusing drugs and alcohol for a long period. In that case, that lifestyle can end up drastically damaging their lives in every way: financially, mentally, socially, and physically, both their short-term and long-term health. Many addicts do not eat nutritious food or much food at all, and the vitamins and minerals from any food they eat are often not properly absorbed.
Alcohol and drug abuse take a major toll on the human body. Various drugs will cause harm to your body in different ways – and abusing substances for a long period will leave a mark on your physical health. For example:
· Heroin – Can lead to collapsed veins, infections, abscesses, arthritis.
· Meth – Causes lung, liver, and heart problems, dental issues, insomnia.
· Cocaine – Can lead to gastrointestinal problems, difficulty swallowing, nasal passage problems, insomnia.
· Alcohol – Can cause stomach and heart issues, muscle cramps, damage to digestive track, weakened immune, skeletal, and muscle systems, pancreatic and liver issues.
Drug addiction affects more than just the individual that is using it. It is a complex illness with far-reaching consequences for those who know, work with, and support the drug-addicted individual. Even if we don’t know someone personally who is abusing drugs, we are likely impacted in other ways, whether through taxation, paying higher insurance premiums or college tuition, or picking up hours at work. Drug addiction knows no boundaries. We all pay, and we should all care about our community and the individual.
