One of the most disturbing things about drug addiction is the effect on kids.  A recent news story highlights  why parents with kids need to run, not walk, to drug rehab

The mom in this story was pulled over to the side of the road by police in a simple traffic stop.  She had her kids with her – boys aged 14 and 11. The police searched the 14-year-old and found that his mother had stashed heroin in his pants

Mom said she was a single parent and transporting drugs just one time to pay the rent. When officers looked into it, they found out she’d been selling drugs for a while. They charged her with several things – including child endangerment – and her kids were taken away from her by social services.

Imagine how these kids must have felt and what kind of life they’ve had. And how badly set  up they are for the future. Unless these kids have relatives that take them in, they’ll wind up in foster homes. They may even wind up separated, in which case they’ll also lose each other.

If you know a mom using drugs, do the kids a favor and help get her into drug rehab.

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Many methadone users tout the benefits of using the drug on a maintenance basis as an alternative to heroin and other opiates. But based on a recent horror story, they may want to think twice and consider drug rehab instead.

This story is about a newborn. Mom had taken OxyContin for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, then switched to methadone. So, the baby winds up being born addicted to methadone and going through opiate withdrawals.

To help the baby, the doctors finally had to give the baby methadone. The baby will have to stay in the hospital for weeks while being weaned off the drug.

In the meantime, you have a very unhappy baby who’s in pain and starting off life in just about the worst way I can think of. In fact, the news item describes it as ‘excrutiating.’

Before going on methadone, you might consider whether it’s possible that you may be or get pregnant. In which case, actually getting off drugs is the better option.

In fact, not being drugged at all is always a better option – unless you have a physical situation that is intolerably painful and renders you basically disabled. Which is the case with some people who use methadone. But short of that, a good drug rehab program will get you off methadone and get your body rehabilitated so you don’t need it.

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In the last little while there have been several articles and news items about how kids who start drinking when they’re young have a good chance of eventually winding up with an alcohol problem and needing alcohol rehab as an adult.

But a new study now also shows that, not only are those kids more likely to need help when they grow older, they’re also having their brains damaged.

Alcohol is not easy on the body – and that includes the brain. From 12 to 20 years old is a very important period for brain development. If someone that age is binge drinking, for example, they’re damaging themselves for life.

According to the researchers in an animal study, MRIs revealed a smaller forebrain in those who have had a lot of alcohol.

Interestingly enough, the specific parts of the brain that show damage are exactly what anyone associated with an alcoholic would expect – those parts of the brain are related to being able to make correct decisions, allowing us to “predict consequences of our actions, control our impulses, refine our reasoning, and evaluate long- and short-term rewards.”

Amazing because, really, those are usually the exact problems parents of drinkers observe. And the same is obviously true for some adult drinkers.

The researchers also said “While these subtle brain changes are not making you a monster, they’re making you a less talented person or a person more prone to do stupid things whether you’re drinking or not.”

Just what we need.

Kids drinking in their teens, at college, and so on, not only seems to be accepted by the majority of Americans, it’s a right of passage. But what is it doing to our kids, and the future of the country?

If your kid is drinking and won’t stop, realize that it’s not just a kid thing. You’re dealing with alcohol addiction. Get help for them now by contacting a drug and alcohol rehab facility. It means a better future to them, for you, and for everyone. In fact, it could save their lives.

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If you’d like to know what really goes on at parties where kids bring drugs, here’s a glimpse of that world. I’m sure any parent witnessing something like this wouldn’t hesitate for a second to get their kid into drug rehab.

Australian researchers contacted party-goers who had taken MDMA (ecstasy) at least five times and got their permission to attend some parties.

While there, they measured the party goers’ blood levels of ecstasy every hour. Here’s what they discovered:

-  Half of the ecstasy pills contained other drugs – e.g. methamphetamine or chemicals like MDEA and MDA, which are related to MDMA.

-  Some “ecstasy” pills contained only other drugs – but no MDMA.

-  The dosage in each pill varied – from 25 mg to 250 mg.

-  Users blood levels of ecstasy (aka MDMA) increased every hour for the five hours they were tested. Despite this, users took the pills over and over again. Some took two pills, some as many as five.

-  In some of those at the party, the amount of ecstasy in their blood reached levels that cause injury or death in primates.

-  And last, but not least, the concentrations in some users’ blood was enough to cause brain damage.

Seven out of 100 twelfth graders admit to having taken ecstasy. Who knows how many didn’t want to fess up when they were asked. And what’s happening with the kids who are out of school.

One thing for sure, if your kid’s taking ecstasy, it’s a real crap shoot. Ecstasy has been associated with many injuries, and some deaths. Now that we have the above information, we know that the situation can get much worse. Do you think your kid takes ecstasy? Get them into a good drug rehab program.

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