Just as alcoholism affects everyone close to the alcoholic, addiction to any substance can create unhealthy patterns of behavior within families. Although alcoholism is far more prevalent than drug addiction, we’ll devote this section to other addictions:

“Street Drug” Addiction:
The most commonly abused street drugs fall into three classes: Stimulants, Opiates and Depressants. As the name implies, Stimulants “stimulate” or rev up the user’s brain and body, creating a sensation of increased awareness and concentration, combined with euphoria. This class includes drugs like cocaine, crack and crystal meth, along with other amphetamines.

Most pain relieving drugs are in the Opiates class. Heroin, morphine, codeine and opium itself are examples. All these drugs produce similar effects: relief of pain and anxiety, combined with euphoria and sleepiness.

The third class is Depressants. These drugs are designed to slow the user’s brain and body, causing relaxation and increased calmness. While the most widely used depressant is alcohol, barbiturates and drugs designed to treat ADHD are also in this class.

Prescription Drug Addiction:
It’s becoming an alarming statistic:

Americans abuse more prescription medications than cocaine, crack, heroin, crystal meth and other “street drugs” combined, according to the U.S. Office of Drug Control Policy. Narcotic pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives are second only to marijuana as America’s drugs of choice.

According to the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 6.2 million Americans reported they had used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes within the last month!

Why? Maybe it’s because these drugs are relatively easy to acquire. Or maybe it’s because there isn’t the same level of “taint” associated with prescriptions, as there would be with street drugs. Whatever the reason, the result is the same: fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, even grandmothers and grandfathers are misusing prescription medications in the highest percentage in history.

Whatever the addiction, it’s not only the addict who suffers. If you’ve reached the point where you don’t want your family to suffer any more, please call (800) 344-9591. We know how to help families get healthy together.