How do you know if a loved one is addicted to prescription drugs?
Here’s a personal story:
At first I thought I was losing my mind. It was seven days before I could get my prescription for sleeping pills refilled, but I had just one pill left in the container…How was that possible? These pills are known to the medical community as barbiturates; to those who use them illegally, they’re known as downers.
In my family we pride ourselves on helping each other. When my younger sister told me she was moving back to our town, I suggested she move in with me until she found a job. I was ecstatic to recapture the five years we had lost since she moved away.
I didn’t realize she was addicted to prescription drugs. I thought her strange behavior and mannerisms were due to the stress of moving, finding a job, etc. She would nod off, then turn around and have insomnia. She would sweat profusely out of the blue, and her mood swings were out of control. These signs seemed to be getting worse with time, and she was always on the phone with pharmacists, nurses, therapists, and doctors to plead her case for more pills. By the second month she was with me, I noticed she was confused and unsteady with her movements. When I was six pills short in my pill container, it hit me: my sister was using them.
When I finally talked with her about the disease of addiction, she broke down and admitted that she had a problem. As she was going through withdrawal, I drove her to her first treatment center to start her detoxification. Prescription drug addiction is real and can happen to anyone. Learn the signs, and reach out to those you love if you’re concerned about their drug use.
If you have a loved one addicted to prescription drugs, we are here to help. Contact us anytime at (713) 769-0102.
