Your child is starting to grow and you want them to be happy and healthy and maybe share in some of your own interest so you sign them up for a sport or two. Soccer, pee-wee football, little league or gymnastics. As they grow they may continue to play these sports and they may become great and even have potential college scouts. All of these are great things, but injuries are a part of sports. Torn ligaments, broken bones, and surgeries to correct the problem. These injuries and subsequent surgeries can lead to substance abuse. Learn the connections between childhood sports injuries and addiction.
Statistics on Injuries and Addiction
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration states that 80 percent of people who abuse opioid painkillers eventually start abusing heroin. The National Institute of Drug Abuse says that one out of fifteen people who take nonmedical painkillers will eventually use heroin within the next ten years. Since opioid pain pills are more expensive it is easier for these people to move to the cheaper option, heroin. A national study at the University of Michigan found that by the time student athletes were high school seniors about eleven percent have used these narcotic painkillers in a nonmedical way. They also found that males who were in competitive sports were two times more likely to be prescribed opioid painkillers and four times more likely to misuse these drugs compared to males who didn’t play competitive sports. Players of contact sports are also more likely to view this misuse as a means to an end. A New York University study found that three-fourths of high school heroin users started with an a prescription opioid. They need to play so that they can impress college scouts and succeed, they want to get back on the field as soon as possible, even if that means playing through the pain. For students in hockey, basketball, football, and many others, these dangers are very real and there is a very real connection between injuries and addiction
Opioids, Injuries and Addiction
From students to recovery treatment facility workers, they are all aware of how much opioid painkillers and heroin are a part of sports. The people who seem to be the most blindsided by this use is the parents of the student athletes. Their children are smart, strong, and ambitious. Their children are working hard to achieve the future they want and then they get hurt doing the thing they love most. The doctor prescribes something for the pain and because it comes from a doctor it should be safe and the best thing for you child. Until it’s not. These ambitious kids want to hurry and get back to playing again and the numbness that they find with these drugs helps them but they have to take more than is prescribed. This builds up their tolerance to the drug and leads them to taking more and more and they become addicted. Many kids start finding and buying these drugs off their schoolmates but since they are expensive they turn to heroin. Eventually these kids stop caring about their sport and their grades, they don’t care about the college scouts anymore because the only thing they care about is heroin and getting their high. This is when parents begin to notice and by then it is too late. There are many unfortunate stories about kids just like this who eventually end up overdosing or going to jail. They never saw their life playing out this way, they had everything going for them and then just as easily it was all taken away.
Thousands of these surgeries happen every day, in every state, and around the world. The number of opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, just in America, have grown from around 76 million in 1991 to around 207 million in 2013 according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. They also say that America is the largest global consumer of Percocet or Oxycodone (81%) and Vicodin or Hydrocodone (almost 100%). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) showed that in 2012 an estimated 2.1 million people in America were suffering with an opioid prescription abuse disorder. Death certificates started listing opioid analgesic poisoning more than heroin or cocaine, as the cause of death in 2002.
Staying Protected with Injuries and Addiction
While these facts may be scary connecting injuries and addiction, and you may want to keep them inside and lock the doors to protect them, but that is obviously not the answer. There have been many movements and advice to get kids outside and playing to combat the childhood obesity problem which is valid. Sports teach teamwork, work ethic, and discipline. Sports can also be one of the only options for a better life for many students. With college tuition skyrocketing, getting a sports scholarship can be helpful and possibly the only way these young people have the opportunity to go to college. Going to college is considered essential for good job opportunities. So how do we protect our children? It is essential for parents to know the dangers and signs of opioid abuse. It is also important for parents to talk to their children about the risks of abusing these prescriptions. There are many stories of childhood athletes with bright futures being derailed because of opioid abuse, these can be informational for you and your child. Make sure they know that it is not worth the risk. If your child has a surgery, talk to your doctor about all postoperative medication options. If you do not want to take an opioid-based pain reliever let your doctor know. There are non-narcotic pain relievers such as Tylenol, Aspirin, and Ibuprofen. Pain can also be reduced with physical therapy and meditation. There are many different options available to people, do not be afraid to ask your doctor or talk to your doctor about these things. It is important for you to know all your options so that you can choose the best one for you and your child.
