Has your teen been prescribed opioids by a doctor for a sports or other injury? If so, it’s time to educate yourself on the dangers of opioid misuse.
What are opioids? Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others. (DrugAbuse.Gov)
Opioids are generally safe for people when taken in a short span of time under the supervision of a doctor, but some people can develop a dependency for them, leading to addiction.
Here are some resources to educate yourself on opioid use in order to help your teen understand what they’re up against:
DrugAbuse.Gov – https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/opioids
SAMHSA.GOV – https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/TTHY-Opioid-Broch-2020.pdf
NCBI – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4834210/
It isn’t always easy to speak candidly with your teen about the dangers of potent and harmful drugs, but open communication in a healthy manner is always preferable to not speaking on difficult topics at all.