When thinking about finding prescription drug rehab for family members or loved ones, most people automatically think of a parent searching for help for a child. Few consider that it’s often the parents who are abusing drugs and need rehab.
Sadly, more than 52 million Americans have abused prescription drugs in their lifetime, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. So it should not be too far-fetched to consider the fact that parents are part of this group. Of those 52 million people who admit non-medical use of prescription painkillers and other drugs, 6.1 million confess the most recent use was in the past month. Your parent may be among this number, whether they’re willing to admit it or not.
Is Your Parent One of Many in Need of Prescription Drug Rehab?
More and more older Americans are addicted to prescription drugs each year. There’s an epidemic of this type of drug abuse and prescription drug rehab patients are becoming a more diverse mix of ages due to the increasing number of people over the age of 50 who require help with their addiction.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 25% of older Americans abuse prescribed medications. Information from SAMHSA reports that drug abuse by the elderly “remains under-estimated, under-identified, under-diagnosed, and under-treated.” If your parent needs help in rehab, they aren’t alone.
Talking to Your Parent About Prescription Drug Rehab
The best time to talk to parents about rehab is when they aren’t under the influence. If you know your parent’s patterns of use, it’s best to schedule a conversation when you know they will be most aware. When you’re face-to-face with your parent, use the following tips to start the conversation and progress through it toward mutual understanding and awareness that it’s time to get help:
- Be understanding, loving, calm and non-judgmental
- Describe how their behavior changes when prescription drugs are used
- Don’t make accusations or blame them for their actions or behaviors
- Don’t resort to dramatic actions, such as taking their pills and throwing them away
- Let parents talk about their drug use and how they feel about it
- Listen attentively with caring and don’t interrupt
- Talk about how the prescription drugs are bad for your parent’s health or makes other conditions worse
- Be open to letting the conversation “set in” for awhile before the subject is brought up again
- Offer to help parents find a rehab that instills hope in them for their own future
Steps to Recovery in Levittown, PA for Family-Oriented Prescription Drug Rehab
In Levittown, PA, Steps to Recovery is a family-oriented prescription drug rehab that engages entire families in overcoming addiction to prescription drugs. Partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) in Pennsylvania include family education, family therapy and codependency awareness to help other members of the family understand the role they play in the loved one’s addiction and recovery.
Getting help now is the right choice for the entire family. Call Steps to Recovery today at 866-488-8684 for more information about rehab for prescription drug addiction and guidance in planning conversations about rehab with your parent.
