During lunch the other day, one of my office mates shared that his mother has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. It was a big blow to their family and he still can’t get over the fact that there’s no cure to the disease. It saddens him to think that he and his siblings would just have to wait and see their mother wither away and lose control of her muscle movements.

As their mother’s doctor explained to them, Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system wherein a patient suffers from impaired motor skills, speech problems, muscular tremor and weakness due to the destruction of brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine, which is an important neurotransmitter or brain receptor involved in a person’s muscle control. The definition of the disease might have seemed too technical for them, but they all got the message of what their mother’s condition could eventually do to her.

My officemate believes that his mother acquired the disease from her excessive dependence on painkillers for more than ten years. His siblings don’t think so, but he had reason to believe that those painkillers gradually messed up his mother’s brain cells by building up a lot of chemicals in her brain to numb her pain continuously for so many years.

He had been wary of how his mother was obviously getting over-dependent on her painkillers. He knew that it was already a drug dependence she couldn’t shake off on her own and he even suggested a few substance abuse treatment centers where he already inquired about his mother’s condition. The people in charge of the substance abuse centers confirmed his suspicions regarding his mother’s dependence on her painkillers, explaining that it could already be classified as drug addiction problem. They presented to him a comprehensive substance abuse rehab program that could help his mother overcome her drug dependence.

However, his mother disregarded his suggestion because she didn’t think her use of painkillers was enough reason for her to go into substance abuse rehab. She was even a bit offended when he implied that she had a drug addiction problem. Of course, no one would be happy to be called a drug addict but it was the only reason he could think of at that time to make her stop taking those painkillers. He knew those drugs would have side effects that would manifest later and could possibly cause greater damage on her health.

His fears were validated with the doctor’s diagnosis of his mother’s condition. He knew there was something wrong when she started dropping things from her hands, having difficulty moving her limbs and sometimes having a hard time speaking (she would often speak at a very low voice without realizing that there’s hardly any sound coming out of her mouth). It used to be that she was complaining about muscle pains (which was the reason why she started taking her painkillers in the first place), but then only the numbness remained and she started to lose control of her muscles and her motor skills.

If only his mother agreed to have that substance abuse rehab center he suggested, her condition would probably not be as bad and incurable as the Parkinson’s Disease she has now.

If you suffer from any form of addiction and need a substance rehab call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-515-5032.