Substance abuse disorder is often called the “family disease” because it disrupts the stability, health, and relationships, of the entire family. In law enforcement, we come across a wide variety of people from all walks of life.
One thing I have observed firsthand is how the use of drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, fentanyl, and other hard type illicit drugs affects and often destroys a family. Having money and other resources sometimes helps some addicts. But once an illicit drug like methamphetamines gets ahold of one of your loved ones, change is coming. Maybe even death.
Broken trust, shifted roles, financial and legal strains, and emotional stress are just a few of the changes. Your loved ones no longer can hold a job, their body (face) begins to change, their thought process begins to change, and at some point, problems with the law. After a while, it is hard to recognize your friend or loved one.
Users typically tell me a variety of reasons for their use and provide me a variety of reasons for what got them started using the drug, such as peer pressure, parents are users, friends, and other close ones in their lives introduced them to the drug.
For years we taught “Just Say No!” to drugs. This is tough for one to adhere to if their friends, close family members, and other associates are using the drug. My dad has told me my whole life, “If you lay with a dog long enough, you get his fleas.” No truer words have been spoken. Most of us will become a variation of who we surround ourselves with.
So what can you do? It sometimes takes a village to raise a child. They must have positive role models in their life. Many parents teach; do as I say and not as I do. This rarely works. If you cuss, your kids will cuss. If you smoke, they will probably smoke and on down the line.
Our kids emulate who raised them, whether it is was a parent, grandparent, the television, a friend, or the streets. Monitor your kids, be part of their lives and set an example.
Call us if you need us.
Steven Jeter is Chief of Police in Trinity.
