Family Teens
Support Group 

Family Teens Online 12 Step Group Meetings are currently being held on Tuesday at 9pm eastern time.

 

Miracles In Progress Family Teens Group is a support group for teenagers who are adversely affected by Substance Abuse within the family.  We are a 12 Step group that works the 12 Step program of recovery to heal from the pains that alcoholism or addiction has brought into our lives.

Please Join Us For  Group Meetings
On Tuesday Night at 9pm eastern Time!
You'll Be Glad You Did!

 

Got any ideas....
We are all ears!!!!

rose@12stepforums.net

Is your parent, grandparent, brother, sister or other loved member of your family suffering from Alcoholism or Drug Addiction?

Does it bother you?  Are you feeling angry, sad, hurt, confused, or ashamed?  Do you need a safe place to talk about how someone else's alcoholism or addiction is affecting your life, without fear of repercussions?

Join Our Chat Room

Visit Our Message Board

March

 Topic

 Please note: Miracles In Progress Family Teen Group

provides information to teens to teach them to make correct and healthy decisions!

~*~Prescription Drug Use and Abuse ~*~

Angie overheard her parents talking about how her brother's ADHD medicine was making him less hungry. Because Angie was worried about her weight, she started sneaking one of her brother's pills every few days.  Todd found an old bottle of painkillers that had been left over from his dad's operation. He decided to try them. Because a doctor had prescribed the pills, Todd figured that meant they'd be OK to try.  Both Todd and Angie are taking huge risks, though. Prescription painkillers and other medications help lots of people live more productive lives, freeing them from the symptoms of medical conditions like depression or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But that's only when they're prescribed for a particular individual to treat a specific condition.

Why Do Some People Abuse Prescription Drugs?

They think they're not doing anything illegal because these drugs are prescribed by doctors. But taking drugs without a prescription — or sharing a prescription drug with friends — is actually breaking the law.

Which Drugs Are Abused?

The most commonly used prescription drugs fall into three classes:

1. Opioids

  • Examples: oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and meperidine (Demerol)
  • Medical uses: Opioids are used to treat pain or relieve coughs or diarrhea.
  • How they work: Opioids attach to opioid receptors in the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord), preventing the brain from receiving pain messages.

2. Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants

  • Examples: pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal), diazepam (Valium), and alprazolam (Xanax)
  • Medical uses: CNS depressants are used to treat anxiety, tension, panic attacks, and sleep disorders.
  • How they work: CNS depressants slow down brain activity by increasing the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA. The result is a drowsy or calming effect.

3. Stimulants

  • Examples: methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall)
  • Medical uses: Stimulants can be used to treat narcolepsy and ADHD.
  • How they work: Stimulants increase brain activity, resulting in greater alertness, attention, and energy

 

What Are the Dangers of Abusing Medications?

Like all drug abuse, using prescription drugs for the wrong reasons has serious risks for a person's health. Opioid abuse can lead to vomiting, mood changes, decrease in ability to think (cognitive function), and even decreased respiratory function, coma, or death. This risk is higher when prescription drugs like opioids are taken with other substances like alcohol, antihistamines, and CNS depressants. CNS depressants have risks, too. Abruptly stopping or reducing them too quickly can lead to seizures. Taking CNS depressants with other medications, such as prescription painkillers, some over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, or alcohol can slow a person's heartbeat and breathing — and even kill.  Abusing stimulants (like some ADHD drugs) may cause heart failure or seizures. These risks are increased when stimulants are mixed with other medicines — even OTC ones like certain cold medicines. Taking too much of a stimulant can lead a person to develop a dangerously high body temperature or an irregular heartbeat. Taking several high doses over a short period of time may make a drug abuser aggressive or paranoid.

The dangers of prescription drug abuse can be made even worse if people take drugs in a way they weren't intended to be used. Ritalin may seem harmless because it's prescribed even for little kids with ADHD. But when a person takes it either unnecessarily or in a way it wasn’t intended to be used such as snorting or injection, Ritalin toxicity can be serious. And because there can be many variations of the same medication, the dose of medication and how long it stays in the body can vary. The person who doesn't have a prescription might not really know which one he or she has.

How Do I Know if I'm Addicted?

If you think you — or a friend — may be addicted to prescription drugs, talk to your doctor, school counselor, or nurse. They can help you get the help you need. It's especially important for someone who is going through withdrawal from a CNS depressant to speak with a doctor or seek medical treatment. Withdrawal can be dangerous when it's not monitored.

If someone has become addicted to prescription drugs, there are several kinds of treatment, depending on individual needs and the type of drug used. The two main categories of drug addiction treatment are behavioral and pharmacological.

Behavioral treatments teach people how to function without drugs — handling cravings, avoiding drugs and situations that could lead to drug use, and preventing and handling relapses. Pharmacological treatments involve giving patients a special type of medication to help them overcome withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.

If is it not prescribed to you....

Do Not Take It!

How can Miracles In Progress Family Teens Group Help Me?

Here, on MIP, you will find other teens, who are affected by someone else's alcoholism or addiction, sharing not only the pain of such a hard situation, but also their hopes, dreams, experiences and strengths. We have a message board, resource listings, fun links and a chat room hosted by the most loving people.
The pain of having a family member caught in the mere of alcoholism or addiction is one of the most severe suffering one ever endures. It effects the whole family. Not just the person who is alcoholic or addict. Our well-being is adversely affected by someone else's alcohol or drug abuse.  The pain can be overpowering.  It is agonizing.  It is NORMAL. Everyone’s family is unique but everyone’s pain is the same. Alcoholism or Addiction is a friend to no one.
What is Family Teens Group? It's a place where peers in an online chat room environment teaches that you have "permission to feel, heal and recover". A place where you learn that the emotions you can't understand are seen in a "mirror image" of someone describing exactly what you are going through, and you say to yourself, "that's ME they are describing". So you learn you are not crazy - that the thoughts of the alcoholic or addict, the home, family, etc, that consumes you from the moment you wake from sleep, that finally comes after endless waking hours, are not only yours. You don't have a monopoly on the fears, hurts, anger, disappointments, or shame. It's a place where you find that every word you heard in the beginning and could not believe yourself, suddenly are spoken by you to someone else you see that is in pain and you realize, "that's ME talking" ....now it becomes a place where you have learned that by receiving the support and understanding that helped you get through the pain (of having a alcoholic or addict family member) you are now helping someone who is where you have been. It's a place where you CAN recover from the pain, move away from old survival skills and learn new living skills. 
It’s a place of belonging.

 **Click here**

A Parents Guide and Warnings for Internet Safety

**Click here**

Basic Guidelines for Teens and Internet Rules for Safety

Do You have any short stories or poems that you would like to share about teens? e-mail them to: ftg@12stepforums.net
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Miracles In Progress now has an associate account with Barnes & Noble Book Store!  Check it out today!  Thanks!
Books: Recovery, Self Help, Alcoholism, Addiction, Family

Links Related to Teen Issues

Anorexia and Bulimia Disorders

Binge Drinking

Binge Eating Disorder

Teen Smoking

Teen Pregnancy

Marijuana

A Game Arcade is available from the

 Teens Message Board!
Find a safe environment. If you find yourself avoiding your house as much as possible, or if you're thinking about running away, consider whether you feel in danger at home. If you feel that the situation at home is becoming dangerous, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE. And never hesitate to dial 911 if you think you or another family member is in immediate danger.


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