DRUG ABUSE EFFECTS ON KIDS

DRUG ABUSE EFFECTS ON KIDS

Abstract

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse regular use of opioid pain killers are generally safe when taken for a short time and advised by a health professional but, since they create a sense of euphoria in some individuals, they can easily be misused or abused causing drug addiction. Frequent consumption, even when consumed as advised by the health professional, can lead to addiction, over consumption, and eventually death. Opioid drug addiction is a country wide public health issue since Americans consume 79% of the world’s supply of opioid pain medications. Even more alarming, Americans consume 96% of the prescription drug Hydrocodone produced worldwide, which is a synthetic opioid derived from the pharmaceutical drug codeine and is very potent and addictive(Kampman & Jarvis, 2015)..

The prescription drug crisis in the United States is believed to have reduced from the increased awareness of chronic pain by health professionals. This, coupled with the push from pharmaceutical companies for providers to prescribe opioid medications, led to a drastic increase of opioid use among Americans in the last two decades. Many Americans believe that a medication that is prescribed by their physician must be safe for use to manage pain. This belief, combined with the euphoric feeling provided by the drugs, can lead to misuse of the medication and long-term dependence. This paper gives the analysis of effects of opioids abuse to kids whose parents are opioids addicts. The paper also gives the insights of the negative impacts emanating from teenage consumption of opioid

Introduction

The prescription addiction among the young children in United States has caused a lot of attention across United States. However there has been a series of attempts to curb teen addiction on opioids substances. Drug addiction has been ranked as the number one killer in United States. The opioids epidemic has been given the first priority when it comes to political agenda discussions. However, very little attention has been displayed to the dangerous impacts, the public health problem has caused to United States children. Unluckily the process of stemming out addiction involves both extend families and some enduring process which most families find very hard to withstand

Some opioids such as heroin are not permitted in United States although; other types of opioids substance are acceptable in United States and are administered and prescribed by health professionals for cure of pain. These opioid substances include oxycodone, hydro cone, morphine and codeine. Using these drug substances for a short while as advised the health professional is very healthy and safe. Misusing and overdosing of opioids substances can lead to a serious addiction and eventually death in some cases. Misuse of opioids drug substances involves using drugs intended and prescribed to another individual. Drug misuse may involve taking high doses or lower doses than as its prescribed by the health professional or taking the drugs for purposes of leisure (Kampman & Jarvis, 2015).

The federal government together with the public health sector has respond in different ways to this opioids epidemic issue on children. The public health and medication institutions are striving very hard to plan and advocate for safe consumption of opioid substances among the children’s in United States. Health professionals have also designed non addictive methods for cure of pains rather than the opioids substances.

Prescription drug abuse is one of the leading ever growing problems among teenagers in united states.3.6 percent of the total opioid abusers in United States were revealed to be young teenagers, aged from 12 to 18 years. This percentage of opioids misuse among the teenagers doubles with the increase in age .Approximately 8% of the total opioids addicts in United States are children aged between 18 to 25 years

Prescription drug Addiction Effects and Treatment

The constant and gradual increase in the number of citizens using and abusing opioids drug substance has increased greatly, especially among the teenagers in United States. Although opioids drug abuse causes negative impacts not only to the users but also to the people around the users. Kids are affected greatly when their parents or their guardians are addicted with opioids drug substances. From early moments of pregnancy all through to high school life, kids with parents suffering from opioids addiction undergo a lot of humiliations and negative impacts. Initially, prenatal drug usage can affect the children’s health. Unluckily, prenatal drug exposure has been a common problem in United States. Expectant mothers suffering from opioids drug addiction usually adopt their kids due the insecurities of failure of providing parental care.

Kids born to parents who have been using opioids substance always suffer from withdraw symptoms episodes because they were born already addicted by drugs passed to their systems when in their mum’s body. Prenatal introductions to opioids are very risk and have strong withdrawal impacts as compared to other drug substances. Parents who need to adopt a kid introduced to opioids substances face a very difficult challenge of accepting to adopt a kid affected by her mother’s drug addiction.

`   effects of legalized marijuana purchased on dispensaries

In the recent past many states which include California, Colorado, and Vermont have fully removed the penalties for marijuana possession. More than other 20 states allow marijuana for medicinal purposes. There is the difference in how marijuana is supplied and the uses accepted. Colorado and California allow brick and mortar medical marijuana stores called dispensaries. In some states like Vermont, medical marijuana is more monitored and controlled serving more in health sector than for recreational purposes(stein, et al, 2017)..

The change of public sentiments all over the 30 past years has changed leading to legalization of marijuana. One factor which leads to this is the generational turn over causing the rise of percentage of adult population having experienced use of marijuana. Those people who have used marijuana recently are likely to support its legalization than those who have never used. Other persons and observers believe that the increased use marijuana for medicinal purposes led to legalization due to increased national support. After legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes people started to view the drug as less risky. The fact that some of the presidents to be mentioned of using the drug, actually president barrack Obama being re known to have used the drug at his childhood years reduced the opposition to marijuana legalization

There are both health dangers and potential medicinal benefits from marijuana. A lot of research done on marijuana over the recent past has targeted on its dangers with less much concern on medicinal purposes. The illegal status of marijuana has made it confusing due to its dangers compared to alcohol or tobacco. While illegal in most countries the perception to marijuana is changing in some jurisdiction.22 countries all over the world has initiated some sort of decriminalization.

Addicted adults and their kids

Even if the parents had not started drug abuse in the beginning of the kids life, their lifestyles and behavior can have a potential impact on the life of the child regardless of Age.

Parents suffering from opioids drug abuse are always unavailable to their kids, hence the kids lacks the expected parental guide and care. Parents and guardians find themselves hooked to drug abuse to various reasons. A parent may prolong the usage of opioids drugs as prescribed by doctor after surgery or pain management matters. Addiction then increases gradually without notice until the parents neglects the kids at most needed times during children development process. Although ,most of the parents struggling with opioids drug addiction still love and wish to take care of their kids its very challenging to jungle between parenthood and the type of suffering and humiliation they receive from drug addiction.

Its sorrowful how many kids are suffering from parenthood neglect or drug withdrawal symptoms they inherited from there guardians. Different institutions fighting against opioids drug addiction and abuse has recently send a big number of kids to foster homes after parents neglect due to opioids drug abuse. Some parents lose their kids due to opioids drug abuse and finally the children are taken to the foster homes for care.in different counties across United States, the number of kids in custodies is escalating due to committed crimes emanating from the effects of opioids drug abuse.

The number of children in foster homes has doubled within a short period of time. This has posed a very difficult challenge to many counties in United States since the financial resource are not sufficient to cater for the growing number of foster kids in need.

The home environment for children’s under addictive parents to opioids drug substances is never conducive hence kids are introduced to various experiences which always cultivate, lack of openness, violence, insecurity, conflict and loss. Kids living with parents addictive to opioids always experience a very chaotic environment and their status in terms of welfare and morality is poor due to the lack of parental care. Due to the negative impacts caused by their parents kids are greatly disrupted both, emotionally and psychologically. Parents addicted and suffering from opioids drug abuse stand very high chances of conducting immoral activities such as rape to their kids. This is due to the additional strain, stress and depression caused by the effects of opioids drugs within the body (Kolodny, et al, 2015).

Effect of pain prescription drug abuse on children

Drug abuse by individuals of any age can cause very harmful conditions within the body and life of the user. Teens who abuse opioids usually struggle very had to achieve success in school but all in vain because opioids cause reversible and irreversible effects to the brain of the abuser. Kids who are suffering from opioids consumption always suffer from emotional associated complications such as anxiety, depression, mood fluctuations schizophrenia and suicidal emotions. The other problem facing the kids on addiction of opioids is the behavioral associated problems. Kids abusing opioids always have increased social problems such isolation, depression, suicidal emotions and abnormal anxiety. Opioids drug consumption among teens can lead to serious mental disorders or permanent, irreversible damage to the brain or nervous system. Brain damage among children who abuse drugs includes brain shrinkage; impaired learning abilities; amnesia and memory problems; impaired reasoning, perception and intuition; increased or decreased socialization; and changes in sexual desire(Benishek, et al, 2014)..

Treatment of prescription drug abuse Addiction

Using methadone in treatment of prescription drug addiction

Methadone is a prescription drug abuse treatment method designed in tablet or liquid form. The drug is taken orally by mouth. At the initial stages of medication, individuals consuming methadone visit a health public center every day for dose administration by the health experts. Due to this methadone methods of medication offer the effective results of recovery. After the individuals have fully recovered they can now be prescribed drugs to consume from home while they visit the clinic less often. All the treatment centers involve counseling and various health facilities provide other support services as well. The amount of methadone to be administered to the patients depends on the history of patient’s medical records when it’s taken appropriately, methadone does not cause the same high effects that emanate from using heroin or abusing pain prescription drugs. Methadone satisfies the craving to take pain prescription drugs hence preventing the withdraw symptoms of pain prescription drug abuse.

Using Buprenorphine to treat pain prescription drug abuse

Buprenorphine is a pain prescription treatment which can be administered in different ways. It can be administered singly or administered along other drugs such as naloxone. The collective substance is designed as a small film or tablet that infiltrates under your tongue. Buprenorphine on its own is also designed as a tablet, or as a long-acting matchstick-sized implant along you hand. Treatment with buprenorphine, in any of the forms, typically does not require a daily routine visit to the clinic. If taking a tablet form, once you are stable on treatment you can often get a month stock of the drug to use from home. The effectives of the implant endure for more than half a year. Just as methadone, buprenorphine is a pain prescription drug. If buprenorphine is consumed appropriately there are no harmful effects. Health professional are required by the public health laws and policies to obtain a license for prescribing these drugs.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavior therapy in pain relieving drug abuse addiction is based on the fact that addictions are acquired behaviors that can be possibly changed. Cognitive approaches primarily target on altering the addictive behavior through reforms in faulty cognitions that work to retain behavior .cognitive methods works through the facilitation of positive understandings or inspiration to change behavior .the most used methods are cognitive therapy, relapse avoidance, and motivational enhancement therapy.

Behavioral approaches primarily aim to modify behaviors supported by conditioned learning: classical and operant conditioning. Such methods are many and different, but include interventions aimed at extinguishing classically conditioned responding or are based on instrumental conditioning, for instance. Community based programs or emergency management in which positive non-drug taking behaviors are positively instilled. Behavioral therapies involving aversive conditioning are historically important mainly in the alcohol treatment field, and have some evidence of efficacy, but are not used mainly for moral purposes (Schuckit, et al,2016)

Contingence management methods

Research has displayed the efficacy of treatment methods using contingency management methods, which involve giving individuals tangible rewards to reinforce healthy behaviors such as abstinence. Studies conducted in both methadone programs and psychosocial counseling treatment methods visualize that, reward-based interventions are greatly effective in boosting the treatment retention and inspiring abstinence from drugs

Voucher based reinforcement programs

Researchers have revealed out that voucher based reinforcement program is another community-based treatments for individuals who mainly abuse heroin or cocaine. In voucher based reinforcement, the patient receives a voucher for every drug-free urine sample provided. The voucher has monetary value that can be exchanged for food items, movie passes, or other goods or services that are consistent with a drug abstinence lifestyle. The voucher values are low at first, but increase as the number of consecutive drug-free urine samples increases; positive urine samples reset the value of the vouchers to the initial low value. Voucher based reinforcement has been argued to be effective in promoting abstinence from opioids and cocaine in patients undergoing methadone detoxification (Rudd, 2015).

Prize Incentives

Price incentive uses similar methods as voucher based reinforcement. The only difference between prize incentives and voucher based reinforcement is that it uses chances to win cash prizes instead of vouchers. Within the course of the program, participants supplying drug-negative urine or breath tests draw from a bowl for the chance to win a prize ranging from $1 to $100. Individuals may also win draws for attending counseling classes and achieving monthly goal-related goals. The number of draws starts at one and increases with successive undesirable drug tests and counseling classes attended but resets to one with any drug-positive sample or unexcused absence (petry, et al,2015).

Conclusion

It has been revealed that pain relieve drug consumption addiction can cause adverse effects not only to the user but also to the members surrounding them, for instance family members. Infants born by addictive mothers always suffer for a long period from a condition known as the drug symptom withdrawal. These symptoms cause a slow growth both physically and mentally to the kids. Aged kids who live with a parent addicted to opioid pain medications may also suffer neglect or child abuse in the care of a parent abusing pain medications. The opioid epidemic has reached a crisis level drawing the attention of national media and social service agencies trying to reduce a trend of pharmaceutical drug abuse. It is essential the quality of life for all family members living with an addicted adult (stein, et al, 2017).

Cognitive treatment method is the most appropriate for the individuals with opioids addiction who have been experiencing addiction symptoms and signs regardless of the sufficient medication doses. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be administered individually or in groups effectively. The patient’s outcome research team on opioid addiction advises that this type of treatment should be administered for a period of 9 months. Motivational enhance therapies can be used to assist in boosting individuals motivation to adhere to the treatment schedule. It’s also advisable to do group counseling since it eliminates the feeling of isolation and an individual feels that he is not alone.in group counseling you share success stories and copy from the experienced individuals who have successfully emerged out of addiction. There are also some medicinal substances like buprenorphine and naltrexone used to treat opioids addictions within the individuals

References

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