#34. Drug Addiction - Save Your Teen While You Can
Drug addiction is a torture usually inflicted upon oneself. It is a whirlwind in which if one is caught, there seems to be no escape. When man entered into the field of medicine, he wanted to relieve his body of the agonies inflicted by diseases. But soon he realized that his mind asked for pleasure, and that pleasure can be artificially generated to soothe the mind.
However, before he discovered that artificial pleasure dims the natural faculties of the mind, a major portion of humanity had gained access to the addicting medications. Though therapeutically recommended, the use expanded and soon drug abuse became a well documented and well studied case.
A number of drugs have the ability to cause addiction. Benzodiazepines are the most popular example. Others include alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, nicotine and a dozen others. The real problem in the entire story is the ease of access and the increasing trend of over the counter sales of drugs.
If a medical store refuses to provide a drug, online purchase is always an option. Cigarettes are sold in every shop in the subcontinent; alcohol is present in unlimited amounts in bars all over the globe. Marijuana and heroin are smuggled in appalling amounts across the borders of nearly every country in the world. Such drugs may be used by the doctors to reduce pain but only in strictly controlled amounts.
If you are a parent and your child is in his mid-teens, you need to be more alert than usual. Teenage years are the time when people are more vulnerable to the crime mafia; this is the time when the personality is somewhere of an intermediate between being raw and being mature.
Peer pressure plays havoc with minds and depression is a frequent companion. In such cases, if your child starts to show signs of irritability, rudeness and changes in attitude and moods, it is time to scrutinize the case a bit. Your child might be spending more money than usual and he or she might be losing interest in previous hobbies. One of the most important signs is the drastic fall in grades as education suffers.
Drugs command the brain and this can destroy a person. It is important not only to know the theory, but also to realize and appreciate it. Know that your child can be a victim, and keep an affectionate wing over them so that resorting to drugs remains the remote option it is at present.