by Dr. Arthur S. Seiderman
May, 2011
Published at www.lancasteronline.com
When people are having a hard time coping with life’s ordinary demands, drugs sometimes seem to make life easier. Unfortunately, the youth in our society is exposed to drugs at a rate never before in history. Many will verbalize, ‘I just don’t fit’. However, when on their drug of choice, they do seem to fit. The drug alters their perception of the world around them. Everything seems better now.
The child, with average or better intelligence, struggling with difficulty concentrating in school, is a perfect candidate for drug usage. The frustration is just enormous. The child looks for an outlet. An example of a positive outlet is athletics. Of course the use of drugs is an example of a negative choice. This seems to be an easy choice. After all, we live in a society that has socialized adults and children to believe that solutions to life’s problems can be fast and easy. Just take a pill. Little do they realize the price paid when they choose that option.
Once on drugs, the probability of addiction is enormous. If the individual finally chooses a rehab program and successfully completes the program, there is an 80 percent chance of relapse. Once the person has entered the world of drugs, there is little chance of long term recovery.
The best cure is prevention. We need to be more cognizant of the conditions which create the need for drug usage; and, there are many. Just to name a few:
- psychological ( emotional )
- failure
- abuse ( mental and/or physical )
- a need to belong
- difficulty concentrating or focusing ( often due to binocular vision problems, e.g.
convergence insufficiency ) - bipolar issues
- vocational issues
- heredity
In other words, seek out support in psychological counseling, vision therapy, management of bipolar issues, vocational training and/or job placement (if necessary).
If there is a history of dependency addiction in the family, do not just indicate ‘its hereditary’ and give up. Still seek help as in the aforementioned. Consider consulting with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Do not deprive the person of your love and support. Do not shut them out. Do not tell them what to do. Do not try to solve their problem. Try to be understanding and supportive. No matter what the reason (and the addict can and will be creative in this area), do not give or lend money. Remember that the addict can’t just stop. We, sometimes, think why can’t you just stop. Once the addiction is established, there is a strong, very strong, bodily and mental need to continue.
Once the person is an addict, the chance of being ‘clean’ for five consecutive years is less than 15 percent. Actually, you have a better chance of surviving most cancers than drug addiction. The addict affects the entire family and the interactions therein. It creates endless problems within the members of the family. So you can see the need to get a handle on this early on. Do not neglect this. Act upon it as quickly as possible in the ways listed above.
If you have questions, or need more information, call (717) 656-0534.
