With some estimating that 1 in 7 young adults are affected by substance abuse, there’s clearly an epidemic-level crisis going on, with accidental overdose being the leading killer of people aged 18 to 45. Confidential Recovery CEO Scott H. Silverman joined up with Youth Drug Educator (and former DEA agent) Rocky Herron to educated the viewers of CBS 8 San Diego about the dangerous new landscape that our teens and young adults are growing up in.
When asked about what to watch out for, the red flag that Rocky Herron mentioned to watch out for is “persistent, long-term changes (school, friend groups).”
So, what action do you take? You confront the kid, and call out the lie, if necessary, to find out if substance use is at the root of the change. Scott recommended that parents bring up substance use in the news and ask questions and listen.
Both Scott and Rocky then discussed how the increasing potency of the drugs is making the risk of overdose higher in every use, but also the risk of young adults becoming addicted.
You can watch the entire segment from CBS 8 News San Diego here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6BYoWOnAG8.
