Based on the current situation, Robby should have a strong intervention. In his tender age of 14, his mind is not developed enough to differentiate good and bad. He cannot take rational decisions and think about the long term effects of this habit of marijuana. He requires a collective family support to understand his situation and take a decision for him and not by force.
Children in this age are going through hormonal changes and divert easily towards substance abuse by imitating friend and seniors. To target this problem more effectively, he needs separation from his current friends and needs the company of children from a better background. Motivation to withdraw his marijuana practice and divert his energy towards academic and sports is very essential. An intervention is better at this stage rather than starting a wide range of treatment that he might not be willing to take. Therapy sessions can be helpful for him. Awareness to conceptualize the hazards and end results of his habit are very helpful for him.
ADHD is attention Deficit hyperactivity Disorder. In this disease, child is having difficulty focusing on any activity. This situation can delay the development of a child during school. It is very important for the parents to understand this disease and all about its treatment options before going ahead with any decision.
Stimulant based therapy has shown good results in this disease to stimulate the brain and helps in focusing during any activities. There are side effects also to this medication. According to FDA, some of them also include heart failure also. Hence, parents should make sure that the treatment is under complete supervision of the doctor. Ideally, a child with a small age of 7 should such harmful medication are not a good option. Training and schooling at home is best for him. There are many institutions where ADHD treatments are available with more of psychotherapy, exercises and brain development activities. Once the child crosses a certain age, stimulant based treatment with proper guidance is advisable.
If he is ready to quit heroin, he does not need help of other opium based medication to do so. Allowing another substance abuse to replace the current addiction may or may not work. He might get worst having access to both the substances at hand. There are other ways to quit heroin addiction like, detoxification, counseling, etc. He can gradually reduce his dosage of heroin and medication like Buprenorphine. According to Department of health New York, Buprenorphine is easy to administer and works with very fewer side effects. It is ideal choice than adding another opium based medicine to his prescription.
If he is strong willed, then he would want to try other options. I would not advise him to take any opium based medicines.
Methamphetamine is very dangerous for a pregnant woman because it passes through placenta. At first, I would advise her to confirm if she is pregnant. She should have a pregnancy test at a clinic and confirm how many months pregnant she is. A test will give us an idea how to go ahead with the intervention. If she is pregnant, she should tell her boyfriend about it and there are good chances that he will stop using methamphetamine once he realizes this.
If he doesn’t co-operate then, she should educate him about the bad effects of methamphetamine on the health of the child. This drug causes anxiety, depression and worst diseases like ADHD in baby as it crosses the placenta. If she carefully asks him to understand this, I think her problem will resolve automatically.
Leslie has a very troubled childhood. It is very tough for her to cope with the reality. She is running away from her feelings and hiding behind all the alcohol and partying. Leslie requires a very meticulous approach to recover from her family situations. First thing she should do is to focus on herself and her own future. She should understand that by punishing herself, she is rather putting her health and her life in jeopardy. She should take a lesson from each member of her family and decide that she should not do the mistakes her family has made.
Anxiety and depression are just the beginning of her problems, if she doesn’t become aware now, it will be easy to see her in the same shoes of her family. No matter what is her current situation is, it up to her to decide her path. I advise her to start the company of better friends and join a therapy session regularly. If she decides, she can put her potential for a better purpose. If she can’t get all help from her family, she can take help from outside. She can form a better circle of trust around her and include only a few people that she trusts and share her feelings with them. Rather than fighting superficially, she should try and remove the roots of her problems.
References
1 (2014, Jun. 6 ). In What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?. Retrieved Month. Day, Year, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attentto copy your footnotes
2Budney, Alan. J. (2014, Jun. 6 ). In Marijuana Dependence and Its Treatment. Retrieved Month. Day, Year, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC279709
3 (2014, Jun. 6 ). InBuprenorphine: A New Drug for Treating Heroin Addiction. Retrieved Month. Day, Year, from https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/9555/
4 (2014, Jun. 6 ). In Crystal Meth Abuse Signs, Symptoms and Addiction Treatment. Retrieved Month. Day, Year, from http://drugabuse.com/library/crystal-meth-abuse/
