The Roles of Parents in Taming Substance Abuse: Setting the Record Straight

The Roles of Parents in Taming Substance Abuse. It is not a wast of time to start early in bringing up healthy children free from all kinds of substance abuse

If you have not been there it may seems like listening to music or watching a movie which you are not obligated to act on from the comfort of your living room. Many of us parents, guardians and care givers to children may not be aware of the indicators of different forms of addiction and so when they are attributed to our children, we ignorantly become very defensive. I agree with the sentiment that our children are the most important people in our lives, and this importance must be protected even as we choose to protect them to the last dollar. That is why this article is tailored to helping you get the hits of the roles of parents in taming substance abuse in the lives of our children and the societies at large. In our line of duty at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a medical facility established by doctor Dalal Akoury to offer solutions to all people across the globe suffering from drug addiction, we meet a couple whom we want to use their experience to help many parents out there do the right things in solving the problems of addiction in our children.

From their experience the couples explain and throughout the discussion the man of the house was sharing what they did and did not do to help their son when he needed them the most. And he says “I feel deep sympathy and compassion toward parents and guardians who are just beginning to come to terms with the terrible journey of their children’s drug addiction and those facing the mayhem of a next step which is the treatment aspect: rehab, incarceration, dislodging the addict from the family home. We have been there and what we went through is something that will forever be fresh in our minds (I and my wife). We have been there and we want to share our story with you on this plat form to help you and many others get ready for the possibilities and impossibilities.

The Roles of Parents in Taming Substance Abuse: The lessons Learned the Hard way

Dear parents the following are some of the inputs that we want to share with you from what we have been through. It is important for all parents to appreciate the following:

1. Parents are enablers
2. I cannot fix his
3. My addict is a liar
4. My addict is a criminal
5. Others don’t want them around
6. Life will not be the same
7. Homelessness may be the path he chooses

In many cases due to being protective to our children, we get into denial and for sure we were in denial in the beginning. Being in denial made us to fight among ourselves and point fingers at each other as to who did what or dint do what. Listening became a problem and even when we were told by our friends and neighbors, we took offence for we knew our son better than them and that he is a well behaved boy who cannot get into drugs. Nonetheless today we have come to accept these truths and now it is much easier to deal with the heartache and we’ve become more effective helpers for our son in his struggle with addiction. Now let us look at some of the lessons mentions above briefly.

The Roles of Parents in Taming Substance Abuse: Parents Are Enablers

I believe that just like we love our sons and daughters you also do the same. For our case we would do anything to ease the pain he was going through. Take away the addiction. Smooth the road. In fact we would give our life if it would help protect our son from the sufferings of addiction. In one of my communication with my son over his addiction and to bring my message home I made it simpler using the illustration of a moving train and him standing on the railroad. In this illustration, the train represented the drugs. Encouraging him that it was my duty as a father to take care of him by pushing him off the danger and take his place. Of course that is what you would have done too. However, I now understand how wrong I was since all that would only save his life and risk mine on the tracks and thereafter he would repeat the same thing again and again. His mind set shall have not been changed and I will be dead not being there to take my role as a good father I am.

Even though we are bringing up our children in the best way we can, it does not guarantee that they will forever be that way. In those unforeseen circumstances, they will often take the wrong railroad. I realize that we can only support them and give then the opportunities to make another decision. It may not be easy but that is why there are other professionals who are well trained in such disciplines. It does not mean that they will be taking our roles as parents but professionals like experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and others including recovering addicts, police officers, probation officers, corrections officers, pastors, counselors, all these people can do a better job than we can in showing our addict the correct path. I appreciate that this may be very difficult to some because no one loves our children like we do but, then a gain we must also be flexible and accept that we cannot do what the experts can do and more importantly what our children need and when they need it. That is why we are only enablers we do our part and let the others do the rest with our full support.

The Roles of Parents in Taming Substance Abuse: I cannot fix this

Doctor Akoury has maintained that the first step in the addiction treatment and full recovery is by make self-acknowledgement that I have a problem which needs to be fixed. This is in support of my earlier remarks that the addiction problem of our children needs our support, but the decision of stopping must be made by the addicts themselves. It is true that as loving parents we would always want to fix all the problems of our children and so this may be a challenge. However no one has the access of our addict’s children’s minds besides them. This decision remains with them and for them. This you can’t fix for them as a parent. All you can do is to be supportive and living in the very best way you know how. And like doctor Akoury puts it, no meaningful recovery program will succeed where there is denial on the part of the addict. Therefore any loving parent trying to force this decision on the children is likely to fail and get frustrated as they watch their children sink into more and more of substance abuse. To prevent this parents needs to talk to experts for help and doctor Akoury will be very helpful if only you can schedule for an appointment with her today.

The Roles of Parents in Taming Substance Abuse: Setting the Record Straight