May 12
30
Predatory Dealers Add To Opiate Addiction Woes
Drugs. Opiates, oxycodone, oxymorphone, Fentanyl, Buprenorphine, Codeine, Hydrocodone… the list just keeps going.
Now, these are all legal drugs, but when misused, they can be lethal weapons aimed at their users. If drug addiction spares your life, you may still suffer from continuous use—destroying everything in your path, including but not limited to relationships with family and friends. Also, financial instability, housing, and transportation may add on to the mountain of issues that an addict deals with. It’s obvious that addiction is awful, but what happens when you add a predatory dealer to the equation?
What is a predatory dealer? A predatory drug dealer is a person who will give drugs—at little or no cost to people (generally younger kids)—with the intention of getting them “hooked.” Sometimes these predators turn the new drug-related needs of the kids into a means of engaging them in inappropriate and illegal sexual behaviors in lieu of payments, or in exchange for a lower cost drugs. The predatory dealer may also use them to recruit their friends in exchange for free drugs. In addition to having drug addiction issues in these situations, sexually-transmitted diseases are also of real concern, along with pregnancy, discontinuation of education, and taking part in criminal behaviors.
Many people ask why children don’t walk away from these predators. Sometimes, the answer is the drug. Sometimes it is the desire to fit in. More often, it’s fear. When a predator threatens to hurt a child’s family or pets, they do what they are told to do to avoid more problems with the predator. Still, a predator can control a child through fear—and out of this fear—the child may do many things he or she would otherwise never do.
What can a parent or guardian do about it? The best thing for a parent to do is to ask questions, keep their eyes open, and not make excuses for behaviors and attitudes that are out of the norm for your child. Kids don’t become monsters when they hit puberty, contrary to popular belief. They become monsters when they are being abused or abusing substances. They act differently.
So don’t sweep it away. You may have a real problem to address with your kids. The sooner you do, the better your chance of avoiding predators in your community.
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Since 2002, A Center for Addiction Recovery has been helping families find the courage to find recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction such as prescription medication abuse. Center For Addiction Recovery assists patients in restoring their lives by embracing a way of life based upon Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and by applying a variety of recovery therapies.
For information on our treatment programs and therapies visit us at:
Center for Addiction Recovery – Addiction Treatment Center:
