Many people who are addicted to opioid painkillers, or who have moved on to heroin or other drugs, started out with a legitimate prescription. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, among people who began abusing opioids in the 2000s, 75 percent reported that their first opioid was a prescription drug. Nearly 80 percent of heroin users reported taking prescription opioids prior to beginning heroin. There are a variety of proposals floating around on what to do about this problem – limit the number of opioids doctors can prescribe, recommend alternative pain treatments, don’t use opioids for chronic pain, and more. One article published recently in Psychology Today has a different take – stop coddling your children.
According to the author of the article, an M.D. and professor at UCLA named Nina Shapiro, being too soft on our kids might be fueling the opioid crisis. She describes taking her nine-year-old daughter to the dentist to have a couple of teeth pulled, and how the doctor had wanted to sedate her. She insisted that he use Novocain (a local anesthetic) instead and recalls how the dental staff looked at as though she were the “evil mother of the year” for causing her child unnecessary pain. Kids are stronger than we give them credit for, she says, but sometimes our efforts to protect them from any pain just make them weaker.
It might sound harsh at first, that we should allow children to experience pain. But Shapiro and those who agree with her would say that they have to be allowed to develop a pain tolerance, or they’re going to seek out drugs to dull even the slightest discomfort. Until attempts to stem the opioid epidemic forced doctors to be more careful with their prescribing, it was common practice after surgery for a patient to be provided with around the clock painkillers, even before they started feeling any pain. The idea was to stay ahead of the pain and prevent it from building to an intolerable point, but in the process, we may have begun to convince ourselves that life is meant to be pain-free.
According to the article, narcotic pain relief should only be given when it’s absolutely necessary, such as when the pain is interfering with daily life by preventing eating, drinking, or sleeping. These pain medications have other harmful side effects apart from addiction, like the potential for respiratory arrest. In 2014, there were a series of deaths following tonsillectomies in otherwise healthy children that ended up being traced back to the Tylenol with codeine that was given to them after surgery. This led to the FDA warning against the use of the drug in children. As Shapiro tells us, no one wants to see their kids hurting, but while a little pain won’t kill them, the drugs used to treat it just might.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504 to get started.
