True or False
You can control your parent's substance use
What is False?
Addiction is a ________. It can not be cured, but it can be managed.
What is disease? Drug addiction is both a mental illness and a complex brain disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking/drug use despite the harmful consequences. Like many other diseases, recovery from addiction requires comprehensive treatment that addresses the many emotional, behavioral and relational issues that are a part of the disorder. Recovery works, but it is important to understand that addiction treatment is the first step in a long process of healing.
Heroin is an opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance taken from the seed pod of the various opium poppy plants grown in Southeast and Southwest Asia, Mexico, and Colombia. Heroin can be a white or brown powder, or a black sticky substance known as black tar heroin.
What is Heroin?
Naloxone is a medicine that can treat an opioid overdose when given right away. It works by rapidly binding to opioid receptors and blocking the effects of heroin and other opioid drugs. Sometimes more than one dose may be needed to help a person start breathing again, which is why it’s important to get the person to an emergency department or a doctor to receive additional support if needed. Read more in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit.
What is a treatment for heroin?
What is false, it is very difficult for family members who have loved ones who use. It can be a combination of emotions (guilt, sadness, shame, worry, anger, hurt, etc.)
What you do determines if your parent uses a substance.
What is False? You cannot control your parent's use and you cannot cure them of their use.
This is enabling.
What is when you lie about someone's behaviors or use, cover for them so they don't feel consequences or mistakes, give them money to support their use, forgive hurt out of fear of talking about it, pretend that their use is not a problem?
People inject, sniff, snort, or smoke heroin. Some people mix heroin with crack cocaine, a practice called speedballing.
What is the method of use?
True or false, someone can overdose on heroin?
True.
What is communicate your feelings, make healthy choices, celebrate me?
Heroin/opiod use is considered a crisis.
What is true? In 2019, an estimated 10.1 million people aged 12 or older misused opioids in the past year. Specifically, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers and 745,000 people used heroin. It is unfortunately very common and you are not alone. There is no reason to lie, hid it, or feel ashamed.
This is supporting.
What is encouraging someone them in their journey through recovery and getting treatment, understanding that relapse is part of the process, and maintaining safe boundaries for yourself?
Heroin enters the brain rapidly and binds to opioid receptors on cells located in many areas, especially those involved in feelings of pain and pleasure and in controlling heart rate, sleeping, and breathing.
What are the effects of heroin?
People who regularly use heroin often develop a tolerance, which means that they need higher and/or more frequent doses of the drug to get the desired effects. A substance use disorder (SUD) is when continued use of the drug causes issues, such as health problems and failure to meet responsibilities at work, school, or home. An SUD can range from mild to severe, the most severe form being addiction.
What is an addiction to heroin?
These help to maintain your own mental health when dealing with a loved one who uses.
What are boundaries? What boundaries need to be set?
Children of parents who use substances are at increased risk of mental health issues, substance use struggles, neglect,and relationship struggles.
What is True? Substance use effects the whole family.
This is relapse
What is a common part of the recovery journey, even someone who is very committed to recovery and sobriety may still relapse as they are learning and growing and as their brain changes?
People who use heroin report feeling a "rush" (a surge of pleasure, or euphoria). However, there are other common effects, including:
What are short term effects?
symptoms—which can begin as early as a few hours after the drug was last taken—include:
What are withdrawal symptoms of heroin?
Researchers are studying the long-term effects of opioid addiction on the brain. Studies have shown some loss of the brain’s white matter associated with heroin use, which may affect decision-making, behavior control, and responses to stressful situations.
Agencies that can help and provide support.
What are Alateen, alanon, SAMSHA.
I am the reason my parent uses substances.
This is sobriety.
What is When a person who is addicted to alcohol or drugs stops using, the brain starts to change. At first, because the brain believes the body needs the alcohol to live, it can be much harder to be around a person who continues to not drink. In the beginning, it may actually feel like things are getting worse instead of better. As time continues – as a person remains sober – the brain starts to change in ways that are positive. Yes this is a good thing, and it helps a person become healthier. If the person is not attending to other issues that are part of the disease of alcoholism, it may not seem like things are getting better?
People who use heroin over the long term may develop:
What are long term effects?
Reasons why people continue to use substances.
What is there is no one reason, often complexly related to (list is not exhaustive) increased availability, community or peer pressures, untreated mental health concerns, dysfunctional family dynamics, difficulty using coping skills, pleasure pain cycle, cravings, avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, physical changes in the brain, addiction?
This is the most important thing to remember.
What is, that none of this is your fault?!