Facing The Cold Hard Truth

Facing the cold hard truth means accepting that my 14 year old daughter is addicted to drugs. Have you ever seen a teenager using drugs or alcohol? Have you watched someone you love make such bad choices for themselves that you were afraid for their lives? Having a teenager that is addicted to alcohol and drugs is an eye opening experience. Parents, teachers, and communities all need to work harder to educate our children on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

When my daughters school called to inform me that she had been suspended for 10 days I was devastated to find, when I arrived to pick her up, that she was high. I drove her home and decided to call the police. I wanted her to know right away that I was serious about drug use not being acceptable. Sadly, she laughed when the officer began talking with her. She was so high that nothing he said mattered. With the officers endless patience and experience he talked with my husband and I for awhile before he left, leaving us with a few daunting statistics, that we certainly didn't want our daughter to be one of, and a wish for good luck.

Since I had worked as a nurse for over 11 years and 4 of those were in the mental health field, I knew about a law we had in Florida for involuntarily committing those who are under the influence and are a threat to themselves or others. I considered my daughter to be a threat to herself since she was making very risky judgement calls.

Here in Florida, this law, is called the Marchman Act. I filed the paperwork at our local county courthouse and had my daughter committed to a local detox facility. "Tough love" sure is not an easy thing. I continued to remind my daughter that day and every day after that I love her enough to follow through with whatever treatment she needs, whether in a hospital or at home.

Neither of us knew just how hard it was going to be. Those first 5 days in a Detox unit, were just the beginning of a long road for my beautiful Sarah. No matter what, she has a family that loves her and supports her.

Fact for the day:Did you know that 80 percent of parents believe that alcohol and marijuana are usually not available at parties their teens attend? Unfortunately, the reality is sobering —50 percent of teens who go to parties say that alcohol, drugs, or both are available. Think you know your teen? Keep reading!