When we think of substance abuse in college, it is not uncommon to assume that the drugs being abused are alcohol or other “party drugs.” The fact is, however, an alarming number of college students are abusing “study drugs” like Ritalin or Adderall. It can be particularly difficult to spot a dependency on these drugs, since many of the people who use them are getting good grades, and many other people are prescribed these drugs as treatment for a legitimate condition like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The growing incidents of study drug abuse is disturbing because these drugs, when used by someone who does not need them, can be very dangerous.
Both Adderall and Ritalin are very strong stimulants, which means that they come with serious side effects. They can cause serious physiological reactions in the body. They can cause insomnia, anxiety, and hallucinations. Stimulants increase a person’s heart rate, which makes them much more prone to seizures and chest pains. The side effects of an increased heart rate can be very severe and even deadly. It is possible for stimulants to cause an irregular heartbeat or the potential for cardiovascular failure.
Being the family member or loved one of an addict is an extremely trying and confusing position to be in. Feelings of guilt and helplessness are very common, and it is likely that at the root of these upsetting emotions is a strong sense of ambivalence around whether you are, in fact, enabling an addict. This can be a very difficult truth to come to terms with, because an addict generally does not have the means or wherewithal to take care of their basic needs, so enabling often feels like the right thing to do because you are “saving” the addict from being in an even worse position than they already are. How do you know when enabling is the right thing to do? How can you tell if you are enabling at all?
It is never a good idea to enable.
Enabling an addict is the same as enabling their addiction. As long as an addict has support to feed off, it will continue. Enabling an addict prolongs “rock bottom,” and thus prolongs the addiction, allowing it to have a more and more harmful effect on the addict.
Interventionist Ken Seeley receives a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars for his hard work helping addicts get sober. Ken Seeley’s hard work and dedication to saving addicts from a life, and death, of drugs and alcohol, has earned him a star on the...
Denial: The Dangerous Enabler Of Addiction To Drugs And Alcohol
Founder of Intervention 911, Ken Seeley identifies the number one symptom that indicates the disease of addiction: denial.
People die because they, and their families, do not believe they are “not that bad” or “not that sick.”
Enabling an addict and codependency of family members and other loved ones, contribute to the disease of addiction and the rate at which addicts overdose, and die.
Ken and his team at Intervention 911 help you identify your role in the addict’s life, and how you can intervene to stop the use of drugs and alcohol by someone you love.
Recovery is possible for everyone! Watch now to see how Ken Seeley can help you!
With the best interest of Jeff Conway at heart, a panel discusses his drug and alcohol addiction on Jane Velez’s show on HLN.
Ken Seeley, top-rated interventionist and founder of Intervention 911, chimes in on Jeff’s case, discussing how he does not seem to be winning his battle with addiction.
Ken believes there are steps Jeff can take to get well, but that he does not feel Jeff has experienced enough consequences to stop using.
Contact Ken Seeley and his team at Intervention 911 at 844-230-4911 to find out how you can get help for yourself or an addicted loved one.
Watch now to see what addicts like Jeff Conway need in order to give up a life of addiction for a life of recovery.