Athletes, Painkillers And Drug Abuse: Brick Program For Parents Addresses Issues

BRICK, NJ -- If you have a child who plays sports, chances are your son or daughter has suffered an injury. It may have been minor like a slight sprain. Or it could have been more serious, such as an ACL tear.

With the increase in the number of kids playing sports year-round, there also has been an increase in the number of injuries suffered by youth athletes -- and not just the minor bumps and bruises.

For years, sports participation has been promoted as a way to protect children from becoming involved with drugs, by keeping them actively occupied. And while the positive effects of sports are many -- developing a sense of teamwork and cultivating personal responsibility -- the increase in serious injuries has exposed many more teens and preteens to narcotic pain relievers prescribed by doctors.

The trouble is these painkillers are leading to dependency that often leads to heroin use -- even among teens.

In a recent University of Michigan study, 11 percent of high school athletes reported using prescribed pain medication just to get high by the time they were seniors. Moreover, this study found that 75 percent of parents allow teens to manage their own medications.

So even if a teen only needs a few pills to manage acute pain, he or she could end up taking a whole 30-day prescription, leading to dependence. This dependence can be a pathway to heroin use, which provides the same effects as the pills but is cheaper and more readily available.

An NPR article on the connection shares the stories of several athletes who have become addicted to pain killers. Read it here.

To help Brick Township parents whose children are athletes navigate this minefield, the Brick Municipal Alliance Committee (BMAC), whose goal is to promote programs that help keep the township children off drugs and help combat the heroin crisis, is offering a new program to township residents called Parenting an Athlete.

The goal of Parenting an Athlete is to help parents define their attitudes and boundaries regarding substance use, and to support parents in communicating these values effectively to their children.

The free program is run through the St. Barnabas Institute for Prevention and spans five weeks. It is open to parents of 11- to 18-year-olds who are involved in sports (or considering involvement).

The program will begin Thursday, Jan. 14 and run every Thursday night until Feb. 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Meetings will be held at the Brick Recreation Department. Dinner, refreshments, and incentives will be provided, as well as babysitting (meetings are for parents only). To register use the Recreation website: parksandrecreation.bricktownship.net or call the Recreation office at (732) 262-1044.

“Participating in this free five-week program is one of the most important things a parent can do to support their young athlete. This is particularly true for those parents whose child is a multi-sport athlete or playing multiple seasons of the same sport, as they are at higher risk for injury,” Councilwoman Andrea Zapcic said.

BMAC also is offering this course to sports organizations in the community. If you would like to set up a 5-week session for parents with your organization, to be held at your location, please contact Emma Mammano, BMAC Coordinator, at emammano@bricktownship.net. Parenting an Athlete is sponsored by a grant from the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, administered by the Ocean County Health Department.

Read more on the issue of athletes and painkiller addiction in this USAToday.com article.