JOEY Arriola, a drug abuse prevention advocate, wants the community to be aware of the impact of drug addiction on children.
“In my years of advocating for drug awareness and prevention, I have been approached by young adults who say they used drugs because they believed that it was okay because their parents were doing it,” Arriola said.
“The hardest or most negative impact is that the children are either neglected or are verbally and physically abused when a parent is unable to sustain the continued use of their choice of drugs or are suffering from withdrawal,” he added.
As an advocate, Arriola said he has also encountered parents who want to help their children get out of the cycle of addiction.
“If you’re a parent of a drug user, encourage your child to undergo treatment. If the child will not listen, find an adult or someone who is a figure in the community (e.g. a priest, or a strict uncle) to assist in talking and encouraging the user to get professional substance abuse treatment,” he said.
At the end of one of his presentations, Arriola said a middle school student “came up to me, hugged me real tight, and told me, ‘please help me sir.’ He was talking and crying at the same time and telling me how hard it was to be at home when his mom was on meth.”
The child felt miserable and unsafe in his own home, Arriola said.
“To those individuals using drugs, I say to you: you can do it, you can get off addiction. Find the [willpower], find the strength, and know that you are doing it for the sake of your child or children. Come out of the darkness and into the light. Break that chain of addiction. Have faith, and pray to God,” Arriola said.
He emphasized the importance of getting professional help for people going through drug addiction.
“Like I always say, if not for yourself, then seek help for the sake of your children. Your spouse, children and other loved ones need you, and you can only be there for them by being clean and sober,” he said.
