Replies to '12/19 Generation Rx'

Missy, I'm so sorry that you're going through this.  I remember how hard it was, sometimes, to be a teenager, and it was tough to find ways to cope.  I would urge you to say something to your parents... they're your parents and they love you.  If they get mad, remember that it's because they care about you so much and are more afraid than anything.  If your parents are actually the problem (it happens) and you don't feel comfortable going to them, is there someone else you could talk to-- like maybe a teacher or a coach?  You can actually hurt yourself a lot with the prescription drugs (I work in pharmaceutical research-- believe me, I've seen the data from the studies and it's not pretty).  Also, I know this won't help much right now, but being a teenager passes, and if you take care of yourself now it's all uphill from here!  :)

 

Whatever horrible things are going on in your life, succeeding in life is the best vindication.  And if they are really, really horrible things... please, seek help, maybe from a school counselor.  That's what they're there for-- and you're worth having someone listen to you who is in a position to have the resources to be able to give you the help you need and deserve.  :)

Missy,

 

You may think the drugs are helping you cope, but that's just a lie you tell yourself.  The drugs are keeping you from coping with life.  Whatever horrible things are happening will never be helped by drugs.   You can stop if you want - but you will need help to do it.  Go to your parents and deal with them honestly.  Frankly, they have a right to know because it is not just your life you are affecting (whether you realize it or not).

 

Yes, you will probably have to deal with some unpleasant consequences, but isn't that better than dying?  Or living your entire life as a drug addict?  Think about the next 20 or 30 years (if you survive that long).  Do you really want to be that way for the rest of your life?  Or do you want to actually have a life, a husband, a family, or a career?  You won't ever do anything positive unless you take steps to get off the drugs.

 

If you can't go to your parents, go to ala-teen, or some other program for young people.  Grandparents, teachers, school counselors, perhaps the parent of a good friend - keep trying, tell everyone you have a problem and enlist their help.  Not fun, definitely.  And not easy.  But life is about more than having fun, and growing up means that we start doing the hard work we don't want to do in order to get what we do want. 

What pain killers are you taking exactly? Opiates (Vicodin, Oxycontin, et cetera), or just over the counter pain killers?

DON'T TAKE LARGE AMOUNTS OF ADVIL!!!!!!!!! Its not psychoactive at all; its not doing anything for you, and it probably is the main reason you have had headaches, fevers, and have vomited. You aren't addicted to advil, you can't be. Stop doing it, especially if you are taking prescription pain killers that already have acetimetiphen in them.

Missy: First thing tomorrow you must find an adult that can help you. Perhaps a teacher, guidance counselor, friends parents - someone you trust that can help you with telling your parents and someone to help you find the appropriate level of care. I am so impressed that you have already owned your addiction - first of the 12 steps - well done. Now take that next step and find that help. You have a life ahead of you as a spouse, a parent, a professional - so many of life's most wonderful gifts - please do not cheat yourself out of your own future.

 

Trust me with one thing - you are not functioning normally - it may seem as though you are but you are not - no one functions normally when on drugs. This is not a matter of right and wrong - it is a matter of your life being of control. Please promise all of us that you will seek the help. It will be hard work, but it will be worth is. Cindy