by: Debbie Wicker

Dear Robyn,

I sounds to me like you know that you dodged a bullet when you could no longer get Hydrocodone. I think you know this, but I want to say it anyway, Hydrocodone is a opiate so it is the same as shooting heroin. It’s as addictive and dangerous as heroin. Because you experienced withdrawal symptoms after such a relatively limited amount of use, you can assume that you’re predisposed to becoming opiate addicted.

Opiate addiction is a disease of the brain that changes our brain chemistry is ways no one fully understands. We are each uniquely and wonderfully created so that no two brains are exactly the same. Your brain has not fully developed yet and won’t be until you’re in your 20’s.

If you choose to continue your drug use, this will likely inhibit your brain from ever fully developing. If you use opiates you will likely become addicted to them. Your friends may be less predisposed to opiate addiction and may be able to use without major consequences, which is why some of them may not have experienced the withdrawal and cravings as much as you did.

As I said, each of us has a different brain chemistry. Some of us are more predisposed to alcohol addiction, others meth, while still others opiate addiction. We may be predisposed to addiction to all them, it just depends.

Drug addiction is a long and very nasty road, that if not treated successfully is often fatal. Weed and alcohol lower our inhibitions and often cause us to use drugs we might not ordinarily use, which is why they are considered gateway drugs. They are a gateway to using harder drugs that we often become addicted to.

Your age makes you SIGNIFICANTLY more susceptible to addiction. So I’m hoping that you wrote this to help convince yourself that you need to be very careful and smart and not let anyone talk you into becoming drug addicted.

My parents were married and divorced four times each, I moved 18 times before I graduated from high school and was on my own at 16. I had MANY MANY people offer me drugs but I realized that I needed to protect myself. I now have a very good life.

You can be smart too, and make the right choices. I can tell by what you’ve written you know what’s good for you and what isn’t. Please be smart and don’t take the hard road through addiction.

Debbie