In the never ending search to determine why and how drug addiction starts, there is new research that suggests that a child’s behavior during their preschool years can predict later issues with drugs and alcohol, among other things. Want to know if your child has the potential to develop issues with debt, poor health, criminal behavior or addiction? Keep reading.

What the Study Found

About 1000 New Zealand children were monitored over decades, and the study revealed that children who were impulsive by nature or had a hard time with self control were more likely to have problems later on. A ratings scale was developed and applied to children and their behavior in these areas between the ages of 3 and 5. Things like frustration level, tolerance and patience, and their ability to focus on the task in front of them were all ranked and monitored.

Those with low scores were more likely to drop out of school, have issues with teen pregnancy and take up smoking early on. By the age of 32, test subjects with low scores in these areas during toddlerhood were more likely to be overweight and struggling with issues like high blood pressure and cholesterol, respiratory problems, sexually transmitted diseases, drug and alcohol addiction, financial problems, and a criminal record. The less able the child to control himself or herself during the preschool years, the more likely he or she was to experience these problems; in fact, less control early on meant more of these problems later for subjects in the study.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A similar study that followed 500 pairs of fraternal twins in England found the same results: those who exhibited little self control at age 5 were more likely to have problems at school and exhibit anti-social behaviors in their teens.

What the Study Means to Parents

For parents, this can be both good and bad news. No one wants to see the tendency to develop drug and alcohol addiction in their child, but parents who do note worrisome behaviors early on can work all the harder to help them develop positive habits instead. Recognizing that your child has trouble with self control and compulsive behavior at a young age gives you an opportunity to instill in them the skills they need to fight this tendency through discipline and a positive example at home.

In later years, you can make sure to implement a zero tolerance policy toward skipping school, smoking cigarettes, drinking and experimenting with other drugs. Encouraging them to eat healthily and teaching them how to manage money early on will also help them to fight against the tendency to let themselves go in these areas. Parents can take heart knowing that they did everything they could to help their child grow up to enjoy a happy, healthy and balanced life.

What Do You Think?

Have you watched nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters or your own children grow from troublesome tots into adults with serious problems? Were there other factors at play or do you believe they were genetically or temperamentally predisposed to these drug addiction from a young age?

Painkiller addiction is a problem that swept the nation over the past decade and continues to rise in significance every year. For men and women, teenagers and the elderly, prescription drug addiction is a huge problem, resulting in thousands of deaths due to overdose or related accident every year. Women, however, are one of the groups at highest risk to develop prescription painkiller addiction. Why is this the case and how can we treat this issue?

Why Women are at High Risk for Prescription Drug Addiction

Statistically, women are twice as likely to develop an addiction to prescription drugs like sedatives and painkillers because they are two to three times more likely to be prescribed these drugs than are men. Why are women prescribed highly addictive drugs like Valium, Xanax and Klonopin more often than men? Because they are more likely to seek medical help for emotional issues than are men.

Acute emotional issues related to a specific, traumatic event (i.e., death of a family member, loss of a relationship, loss of a job, sexual abuse) commonly result in an addictive prescription and women are more likely than men to seek that out. Chronic emotional issues that result in depression are another problem that results in addictive prescriptions and an issue that women seek help for more often than do men.

Prescription Drug Addiction is Deadly

For women and men, prescription drug addiction is a deadly disease. If you or someone you love is physically and psychologically dependent upon a prescription painkiller or sedative, it is imperative that you seek a doctor’s assistance. Attempting to quit “cold turkey” without stepping down slowly over time without medical supervision can be just as deadly as continuing to take the drug.

Overdose is a constant concern for those taking prescription medications, even if they have been addicted for years. Accidents related to overuse and abuse of prescription sedatives and painkillers is one of the most common reasons for emergency room visits. More deadly than any other single addictive drug, addiction to prescription painkillers and sedatives requires immediate and full service treatment at a prescription drug rehab.

Women and Prescription Drug Rehab

Even though women are more likely to go to the doctor when they are struggling with emotional issues, they are less likely than men to seek drug rehab or treatment once they realize that they are dangerously dependent on a drug of addiction. This means that though the numbers of men and women seeking medical treatment at a drug rehab facility for prescription drug addiction are about the same, there are a large number of women out in the world trying desperately to function with a painkiller or sedative addiction unnecessarily.

If you or a someone you love is living with OxyContin addiction, Percocet addiction, hydrocodone addiction, oxycodone addiction or addiction to sedatives or a combination of drugs, get help today. Call The Orchid to find a prescription drug rehab designed specifically to assist women living with addiction.

Slurred speech, mental fog, and incoherent conversation.  Sound like a person high on drugs or completely drunk?  Absolutely - communication behaviors are among the first ways you can tell a person is being affected by drugs.  When a person succumbs to a drug addiction, they suffer from poor communication for days, months, even years.  It may take drug treatment and some patience for a drug addict to really learn how to communicate clearly.  

The Basics Of Clear Communication

You may be surprised to know how many things need to work in unison for one person to clearly communicate with another.  You need skills, good environmental conditions, and a listener who listens.  We’ll take a look at each of these important elements so you have a better picture of how drugs can interfere with human communication.

First of all, the mind must be clear enough to form the message, know who to send it to, and make their body respond accurately.  Also, the message must be clear enough that once it is heard it can be quickly interpreted.  The emotion behind a message makes a large impact on how it is interpreted.  One phrase could have several different undertones when said with difference vocal tones and emotions. 

The receiver must also be aware, responsive, and adaptive enough to first know there is a message being sent to them.  Almost instantaneously, they must also interpret and decypher the message.  They decide whether they understood it clearly, if a response is necessary, and then how to answer back to the message sender.  And if there is anything like extra noise, distractions, or too much distance between the message sender and the intended receiver, lots of misunderstandings are likely to happen. 

Drug Addiction Interferes With Communication Skills

Now it’s important to consider some of the basic effects of drugs.  Let’s take alcohol since it is common and many people are familiar with it’s effects.  What happens if you are a little tipsy and your thinking isn’t in sync with how you are speaking?  Most likely, you and possibly the other person might think it’s funny.  However, if you are like this much of the day and you are having a disagreement with your spouse, this creates an entirely different problem.

Add on several years of this kind of drinking and how to you think your communication habits change?  They may or may not have been great before you began your alcohol addiction, but they are certainly worse now.  You would most likely have gotten used to your thoughts and words not synching up.  Also, your emotions very likely plays a bigger part since you can’t manage them well when you are drunk. 

You probably got used to not paying a lot of attention to others because your drunken state makes it more difficult to attend to someone talking.  You might even have trouble keeping focused long enough to put a complete thought together.  Imagine the frustration and loneliness of having thoughts and feelings that you can’t communicate very well. 

Drug and Alcohol Rehab Help Rebuild Communication Skills

Drug and alcohol rehab can help a person first remove the influence of the alcohol on their system, and also teach healthy clear communication skills.  Humans were built to communicate in complex ways with each other, to create societies, and to learn about each other.  Drug rehab can help an addict restore their potential to reach out and become part of a healing social network.