Drug Rehab Exchange: Every Substance Abuse Treatment Program in the Country

NAV
Loading

Lessons My Teenage Addict Taught Me

 




I first became aware of my son's drug use when he was a teenager and I went through all the normal emotions of shock, fear, anger and confusion. He wasn't exposed to alcohol or drugs growing up. I don't drink or do drugs. On weekends we went to all the craft shows, children’s fairs and school functions, yet he still ended up on drugs.

Lesson 1: It can happen to anyone.

Society has a mindset that all teen addicts come from homes with uncaring and uninvolved parents. It is not true. Addicts come from all walks of life, including warm, loving homes with caring parents and sober siblings. So I did what most parents do. I confronted him about what I knew. He initially denied any involvement in drugs but soon admitted to me that he had smoked marijuana. He told me some kids at school were into it, and when he tried it he didn't like it.

Lesson 2: Addicts lie.

It's part of their disease. When confronted, they sometimes make up a small admission to cover the real truth. I now know my son was actually hooked on pain pills by the time I confronted him. The best thing to do is to make decisions based on what you know, not how it feels. Several weeks later I found more evidence of drug use and one of my son's friend's told me my son was using drugs. I arranged for him to go into rehab. When I told my son he was going he told me that he would run away from it and I would never see or hear from him again. He convinced me that the friend had been lying and he outlined all the reasons leaving school for rehab was a bad idea. He was a senior, he wanted to get into a good college and I was ruining his chances and his future. I caved. I made him promise again not to do drugs. He assured me that this talk had helped and things were going to be okay.

Lesson 3: It is easier to force your kid into rehab before he is an adult.

Because I wanted to believe my son would not lie to me, I did not force him to go. He turned 18 a few months later and I no longer had the legal right to force him. It took almost 10 more years and several court ordered rehabs for him to finally get clean. The good news is that he is now clean, sober, employed and has a family of his own now.

I have no doubts about whether I was a good parent. I was there, involved and supportive, but if I had it to do over I would have put him in rehab as a teen while I still had the legal control to make that happen. I didn't, and my son lost 10 years of his life to addiction. Even teens who go to rehab sometimes relapse during their adult lives, but at least being forced to go when the problem first comes to light starts the path to recovery, whether it happens right away or takes several more tries.







How Do You Quit Drugs and Alcohol

PALS is Exclusively for the Parents of Drug Addicts and Alcoholics
Fitness after Drug Addiction: Getting healthy once you are sober
Recovering Alcoholic Explains his Disease Progression
Staying Sober and Coping With Pressures to Avoid Drug Taking Relapses
Why After Being Clean for Months Am I Suddenly Hit With Cravings?
An Opiate Addict Explains Life After Relapse
Why Yoga Works for Sobriety
After the Drug Relapse
Recovering from Drugs: 5 Steps to Admitting a Drug Addiction
Inhalant Abuse: Q&A With a Huffing Addict
After Rehab: What if I Need Anxiety Medication or Other Valid Prescriptions?
Drug Tests and Rehab: What Will They Do If I Fail?
I’m An Addict. I Admitted It. Why Do I have to Keep Going to Meetings?
Withdrawing From Narcotics In Jail
Drug Rehab and Honesty After Relapse
Drug Rehab Conversations: How Do I Talk to My Family About My Drug Addiction Before Rehab?
Three Days: Withdrawing from Opiates
Opiate Addicts in Recovery: What If They’re Given Pain Medications During Medical Emergencies?
What is Life Like After Rehab?
How Do You Build Trust After Getting Clean?
My First 12-Step Meeting
What Happens When 12-Step Rehab Meetings Aren't Enough?
Detoxing for Rehab
How Do I Explain Rehab To My Kids?
How Can I Prepare for Drug or Alcohol Rehab?
What is Rapid Detox?
Vitamins and Detoxing
Exercising During Detox
Effects of Smoking Marijuana
Working Your Program While Working a Job
Holiday Help With Sobriety
Cutting Ties With the Old Life
Staying Sober at Functions
Telling Family Members About Your Drug Use
How Does a Suboxone Program Work?
How Does a Methadone Program Work?
What is it Like to Withdraw from Benzodiazepines?
What is Withdrawal from Opiates Like?
What is Residential Rehabilitation for Substance Abuse?
Who Attends Intensive Outpatient Rehabilitation?
Physical and Psychological Dangers of Bath Salts
How are Drugs Smuggled Into Prisons?
Are Bath Salts Addictive?
Why is Quitting Drugs So Hard? Part 2
Why is Quitting Drugs So Hard? Part 1
How Hard is it To Stop Smoking Marijuana?
How Do You Quit Using Drugs Cold Turkey?
How Do You Quit Taking Psychiatric Drugs?
How Do You Quit Drinking Alcohol?
Drug Use Screening Kits - Testing People For Drugs
Common Symptoms Of Opiate Withdrawal
Can You Stop Using Drugs With Hypnosis?

Substance Abuse and Your Life

What is N-Bomb and How Can It Hurt Me?
What are Medical Marijuana Cards?
Will the Police tell me if these are drugs I found in my house?
How to Force Him Into Rehab
Behaviors That Indicate That An Addict Is Still Sober
I Found Evidence of Drug Use in My Teenager’s Room. Now What?
Narcan Effectiveness: Can I Use Narcan to Save Someone from An Overdose?
Avoiding Relapse: 5 Activities for Bored Teen Addicts
What Are Alaska’s Medical Marijuana Rules?
Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Rules
California Medical Marijuana Rules
Oregon’s Medical Marijuana Rules
Washington’s Medical Marijuana Rules
Maine’s Medical Marijuana Rules
Enabling Addiction: 6 Things That Permit Addiction Behaviors
Illegal Drugs Testing: 4 Mistakes That Can Ruin Drug Test Results
Teen Drug Addiction: Give your friends time to understand that your child is a drug addict
What are the Signs of Meth Use?
Q&A With Justin, A Meth Addict
Rehab Family Day And What I Learned
Choosing your Battle with Your Adult Child Addict
Drug Addiction Recovery and Family Turmoil: Why do we still fight now that he is in recovery?
Parenting a Drug Addicted Teen and Getting Past the Self-Blame
Drug Addiction Education: How Can I Learn More About Addiction?
Living with A Drug Addict and Taking Back Control
Heroin Addiction: In My Small Country Town? Is My Son A Lost Cause?
Steroids In Schools
My Son Was A Drug Addict, But I Was The One Who Almost Destroyed Our Relationship
There’s an Addict in the Family: How Much Do You Tell The Children?
In Drug Court, What Happens if I Break the Rules? Will They Lock Me Up?
Drug Search: The Cops Want to Search My House For Drugs and My Kid is an Addict - What Should I Do?
My Boyfriend’s a Recovering Drug Addict. Should I Dump Him?
How Can You Get Arrested for DUI Without Drinking, Drugging or Driving? Believe it or Not, You and Everyone Else are at Risk for This Happening
Lessons My Teenage Addict Taught Me
What’s It Like to Sign Someone Into Rehab?
Should I Kick the Addict Out?
Drugs In The Suburbs And The New Path To Addiction
What Does Letting Go and Letting God Mean?
What Can I Expect When I Visit Someone in Rehab?
An Honest Q&A with a Recovering Heroin Addict
What’s the Difference Between Crack Cocaine and Powder Cocaine?
How Is Drug Addiction Supported?
Talking to An Addict About Rehab
Synthetic Marijuana Is Losing Its Popularity Among Teens
The Difference Between Enabling and Empowering An Addict
Gift Ideas For A Recovering Addict
Is Adderall Addictive?
What are Psychedelic Mushrooms And Are They Illegal?
Who Does My Drug Use Effect?
Reasons To Go To Residential Rehab
Is Marijuana Addictive?
What Counts as Drug Paraphernalia?
Earning Back Trust
Am I Addicted?
Can I Lose My Car if it is Used in a Drug Deal?
Tips For Giving A Drug Test
How is My Love One Paying for Drugs?
What Does Crack Cocaine Do To The Body?
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Crack Cocaine Use?
Do People Still Take LSD?
What is Doctor Shopping?
Talking to Your Loved One About Huffing
What Are the Signs That Someone is Huffing?
Problems With Ecstasy Use
Is He Injecting Drugs?
Is My Loved One Using Drugs?
What is Med Seeking?
Where Does My Loved One Hide Drugs?
Is Drug Abuse Grounds For Divorce?
Substance Abuse Amongst the Homeless
Risky Business and The Dangers Of Drug Use During Pregnancy
Babies Sentenced to a Life of Drugs, Addiction and Jail House Side-effects
Will You Gain Weight When Quitting Drugs?
What Legal Medication Can You Take to Quit Drugs?
What is the Average Wage for Drug Abuse Counselors?
Relapses and How To Know When They Arrive
Quitting Alcohol Cold Turkey - Is It Dangerous?
Is Rehab Necessary? Alternatives For Quitting Drugs
How Quitting Drugs Can Change Your Life
Drug Overdoses And Their Staggering Annual Death Rates
Top 10 Reasons for Substance Abuse