The United States is living a true heroin epidemic. Drug and alcohol abuse have been increasing over the last years and this has increased the number of overdose deaths as well.
One of the problems is that it seems that people are starting using drugs sooner. It’s not uncommon to see teenagers and young adults in addiction rehabilitation programs or, at least, looking for drug addiction support.
The problem among teenagers is they don’t realize that what they consider one more teenage experience can change their lives forever. They simply feel they will try some kind of drug to see what happens, to have the thrill they heard about, and after that, they can move on with their lives as usual. What they don’t know, and are not aware off, is that drugs are highly addictive and that is just takes trying it once to get the addiction for life.
Lancaster County has been dealing with severe drug problems, especially heroin. Addicts used to be on dark alleys and abandoned houses consuming. However, now, it’s not rare to see them in public parks, suburban sidewalks, or even on restaurant bathrooms. And it’s not just a city problem. It’s also expanding to the suburban and rural areas as well.
When young children see these people, they naturally ask their parents about them. And most of the times, parents tend to answer them but quite often don’t know exactly how they can make their child understand such a severe problem, and at the same time, alert them not to do that themselves.
So, Judge David Ashworth from the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas announced that he’s volunteering himself to talk about the dangers of drug abuse in every school across the county. His decision of doing this was mainly motivated by what he sees in his courtroom. There, he is, most of the times, late to do something. However, by going to schools and talk directly about the subject to young people, he’s counting on making a change.
Family, and especially parents are still required to have an important role on this subject. By taking some measures and keeping an eye on their kids, they’ll be able to detect any problem that can be just the beginning of a lifetime problem.
Parents should keep their medications out of children’s sight and reach as well as they should know their kids’ friends. By promoting healthier activities so they can be occupied as well as being on top of any warning signals like lying or theft are very important to help them right from the start.
Some parents, who unfortunately had to deal with a son’s overdose, already started talking in other schools, across the country. And this may be a great way to alert for all the problems drug and alcohol abuse bring to teenagers lives.