Our Story

My daughter Sarah will be turning 15 next month. Watching her grow into this beautiful young lady has been a time of pride and joy. Ever since she was a little girl she had a bright and happy personality, always on a smile on her face. Even in times of adversity, Sarah would be the one who would try to cheer us up and make us laugh. She was the most inquisitive little girl too. Always asking questions about how things worked and what you had to do to make certain things happen. In school her teachers praised her, reporting how the other children always seemed drawn to her. Sarah's grades showed her enthusiasm for learning. She flourished in those early years. I called her my "sunshine". When I would wake her in the morning it would be with song. "You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."

Our kids seem to grow so fast. One day we are holding that chubby little hand while they take their tentative first steps and before you know it they no longer want to hold your hand. I often wonder where all that time went. Work, responsibilities, family and children, with so much to do the days fly by in a blur until one the day you learn your child is addicted to drugs and your world comes crashing to a halt.

It was only 6 weeks ago that I received that phone call to pick my daughter up from school, that she was being suspended for indecent exposure.
(In this post I talk about that day.) Since then Sarah has spent 5 days in Detox, 3 weeks in a court-ordered group home for juvenile delinquents, changed schools 3 times (another story for another time) and was raped. Throughout this time frame she has struggled with constant stress, given in to the temptation of drugs, and placed herself in life threatening situations repeatedly.

Of course it is without saying that my heart has been breaking since that day in December and I have been working furiously to learn everything I can about the court system, the laws in our state, juvenile delinquency, resources available to help teens at risk, mental health , and drug abuse in adolescents. It has been a lengthy, convoluted journey in which I have experienced much and learned that I have yet barely begun to learn how to help my daughter.

I have met some very wonderful professionals along the way, who take their jobs seriously and work diligently to assist those placed in there care. Unfortunately, I have met individuals who were indifferent, corrupt and even injurious when it came to my daughters care.

Sarah is now in a residential treatment facility and has been for 2 weeks today. She is angry, frustrated, stressed, confused, and safe. She feels as if she is being punished and everything she loves and holds dear was taken away from her. However, now, I can sleep at night knowing she cannot run away. I can breath easier knowing she has no access to drugs, alcohol, or inhalants.

As a parent you want what is best for your children. You want them safe, healthy and happy. "Tough love", I have asked myself a thousand times, is called tough because of how much it hurts those who are the recipient or those who are the giver?

Please know that you are not alone. Whether you are a teen abusing drugs, or a parent struggling with this life-changing experience, there is always help. All you ever have to do is ask. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions, and I will do my best to direct you to a resource available to you, or if only to provide an understanding ear.

Fact for the day:
Nearly three out of 10 teens (29 percent or 6.8 million) believe prescription pain relievers, even if not prescribed by a doctor, are not addictive
source Read more on: "Our Story"!

What is huffing?

Inhalants are breathable, chemical vapors, when inhaled through the nose or mouth, produce mind altering effects. Everyday household products are being used by kids to get a quick high. By either "huffing" or breathing in these fumes from a rag soaked with the substance, "bagging" or inhaling the fumes from a plastic bag, or by inhaling directly from the open container. These products are inexpensive, easily available, legal and second only to marijuana when it comes to adolescent drug use.

The most common products used are felt tip markers, air freshener, white out, bleach, airplane model glue, nail polish remover, hairspray, gasoline, spray paint, cooking spray, cleaning fluids, and aerosol cans such a whipped cream and "dusters" which are the small cans of compressed air used to clean computer keyboards, for example.

Facts:
-Over 2.6 million children, aged 12 – 17, use an inhalant each year to get high.
-1 in 4 students in America has intentionally abused a common household product to get high by the time they reach the eighth grade.
-Inhalants tend to be the drug that is tried first by children.
-59% of children are aware of friends huffing at age 12.

What to look for
Material signs such as chemical odors on the breath or clothing, signs of paint or other products on the face or fingers (including typewriter correction fluid used as nail polish), spots or sores around the nose or mouth, gasoline or paint-soaked rags in a child's room, used spray paint cans in a child's room or other peculiar location, empty or partially-filled butane cigarette lighters, and missing household products.
In my daughters room, I found little sandwich baggies, the insides covered with spray paint.
Please note that these material signs are important to note because many of the physical symptoms may not last very long.

The effects of inhalant abuse
Inhalants can cause intoxicating effects. Sometimes lasting only minutes or even hours if the inhaling is done repeatedly. At first the teen may feel slightly stimulated, but with each inhalation the inhibitions drop and and if they continue they can lose consciousness. The effects of abusing inhalants are numerous and exceedingly dangerous.

Kids can die at anytime from inhalant abuse, including the very first time, which is known as Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. Inhalants damage the brain and other vital organs such as the kidneys, liver and the heart. The number of deaths each year directly related to inhalant abuse is unknown since most are attributed to other causes.

Short term effects are severe mood swings, excitability and irritability, violent behavior, abdominal pain, numbness and tingling of the hands and feet, headache, nausea, hearing loss, limb spasms, muscle weakness, fatigue, and lack of coordination. You may notice glazed or watery eyes, slurred speech, loss of appetite, and problems in school.

Long term effects are central nervous system or brain damage. Some serious but potentially reversible effects include liver and kidney damage. Death from inhalants is usually caused by a very high concentration of fumes. Inhaling from a paper or plastic bag or in an enclosed area greatly increases the chances of suffocation. Heart failure and death is especially common from the abuse of fluorocarbons and butane-type gases.

Street names
Here you can find a list of street names for inhalants. At my daughters school they call it "dusters" from the cans of compressed air for computer cleaning. "Dusters" was not on this list.

Please join this forum where students, teachers, parents, and others can share their experiences with inhalant abuse.


Fact for the day:
Experimentation of drugs drops by almost 50% if a child is educated by both their family and their school.

Sources
Inhalant.org
Whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
Ncadi.samhsa.gov Read more on: "What is huffing?"!

Preventing your teen from abusing prescription medications.

Several national studies have just released statistics revealing that more teens abuse prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs than any other illicit drug, except marijuana. The news is staggering: 2.1 million teens abused prescription drugs in 2006; 3.1 million people
ages 12 to 25 have used cough medicine to get high.
source

If you think that your local high school doesn't have a drug problem, that your teen isn't at risk, take a look here to see the most current drug profiles of your cityThen continue reading to see what you can you do to help prevent your teen from abusing prescription medications and OTC (over the counter) medicines.

So what can you do to protect your teen from using
First, get educated! Learn as much as you can.

• Sign up for the Parenting Tips Newsletter from theAnti-Drug.com.



• Call The National Clearing House for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-788-2800 to order free pamphlets and fact sheets, or visit the website at http://www.health.org/

Next, have the talk. It's time to tell them that you know.

• Get help if you need it. Read here for talking points.


• Talk with you teen about your concerns.


• Do this at a time when you are calm and relaxed and have plenty of time to talk.


• Let them know what you have learned, educate them too.


• Establish rules-make sure they know drug and alcohol use isn't allowed in your family.


• Set consequences-use those that are meaningful to your teen.


• Be prepared for your teen to be angry and deny using.


• Be prepared to answer questions about your own use as a teen.


• Be honest.

Protect your children, follow these steps at home:

• Start by locking up all prescription medications
• If you cannot lock them, hide them and keep a count
• Tell your family and friends to do the same

There is so much to learn and so much that you can do. You can begin by educating yourself on these risks, talk to your spouse, your family, your teen. When you have taken the steps to educate yourself and protect your teen, it is then time to access whether treatment is needed. I have also talked about finding the right treatment in this post.

I am brand new to learning myself and I only hope to help educate others along with me as I travel down this scary road. I am doing everything I can to let my daughter know how very much I love her. I know that you are doing the same. Keep in touch. We all can help each other.

Read more on: "Preventing your teen from abusing prescription medications."!

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! Read more on: "Facing The Cold Hard Truth"!