Young teens have been getting high from inhalants for some time now, and while the trend is still gaining in popularity, most teens (and their parents) do not know how dangerous it really is.

Inhalants like aerosol spray cans, markers, shoe polish, glue, cooking spray, and air conditioning refrigerant can be used to produce a drug-like high. Kids inhale these things, sometimes covering their faces with plastic bags or rags to keep the fumes in. The inhaling or huffing can cause hallucinations, slurred speech, loss of muscle control, the feeling of euphoria, and other effects similar to drugs.

Even though the effects are the same, many young people do not compare huffing to doing drugs. The thing that makes this type of substance abuse so dangerous is that many people can’t see the harm in it. The substances are legal and usually inexpensive, which makes them readily available. However, once they experiment with it a few times, teens can become physically and psychologically addicted.

Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome

Worse yet, some kids die suddenly from inhaling these substances. This can happen even the first time a teen experiments with inhaling. It is called Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, and it happens most often because of stress on the heart. There is no warning before death occurs, and it doesn’t matter if a person has huffed many times before, or if it is their first time.

Education for Parents and Kids

It is important to create better awareness about risky trends like this one among young people. Parents are the ones that first need to get a handle on what teens and pre-teens are doing so they can watch for warning signs and talk to their kids about the risks. Parents should watch out for the glassy eyes, the change in behavior, or even the physical effects like inflammation of the throat. They may also find things like empty aerosol cans, discolored rags or clothes, or missing household substances.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released information last week about huffing among children. Their data shows that 12 year old children are more likely to get high from inhalants than to use cigarettes or marijuana. SAMHSA’s studies also show that nearly 7% of 12 year olds have used inhalants to get high.

There are people working across the country to put more programs in place to educate parents, teens, and pre-teens about the risks of huffing. Parents need to be taught that kids are doing this, and how to watch for warning signs. Kids need to learn that this is nothing to mess around with and even though it may seem legal and ok, huffing is really dangerous and can result in addiction or death.

Sources 

NIDA Community Drug Alert Bulletin – Inhalants

SAMHSA

Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome Kills With One Puff

When will we learn that, as cute and talented as they are, child stars often struggle with drugs, failure, and bankruptcy later in life? Another former child star has died, and drugs are the suspected cause. Corey Haim, the teenage heartthrob of the 80’s, has died at age 38. Sadly, this death was not a surprise to most.

We’ve seen this too many times before. A child actor realizes young fame, transforming their lives from a normal childhood to one of undivided attention, wealth beyond imagination, and freedom from every day chores and school. We should know this kind of life for an impressionable teenager has its consequences – we’ve witnessed it in numerous lives.

Corey Haim and Drugs

Corey Haim lived this life of conflict. He was known by every teenage girl in the 80’s, and starred in several films, including Lucas and Lost Boys. But sometime after that fame settled, he began taking prescription drugs. Valium was said to be his drug of choice, although he reportedly used others along the way. Fans that kept up with him saw him go from a funny, hyper child to a depressed, incoherent, miserable adult. Other things in Haim’s life began to suffer the effects; he couldn’t land good work, his weight increased drastically, and he went bankrupt. Like so many people addicted to prescription drugs, he didn’t care about other things in his life and his addiction simply got too powerful.

Haim’s drug abuse was evident to anyone who cared to watch. Videos of him doing interviews with slurred speech or garbled words are all over the web. He entered rehab a number of times and claimed to be drug free a few times in the last decade, but he always went back to the drugs. For anyone that has been through the struggles of drug addiction, or watched a loved one go through it, the Corey Haim story publicly depicts the pain a drug addict goes through on a daily basis.

Haim was eventually paired up with Corey Feldman, co-star of the 80’s, for the A&E show “The Two Coreys”. The show documented Haim living in Feldman’s suburban home. At that time Feldman, married with a child, tried to help out Haim, who was struggling with drugs and trying to get his acting back up and going. The show only lasted two seasons, and didn’t seem to improve anything in Haim’s life.

Corey Haim was then rumored to be recruited by Celebrity Rehab for their show, but turned it down, saying he didn’t need the help. Like so many of us, he denied he had a problem or needed real help, until it was too late.

It is tragic that another celebrity has died, reportedly because of drugs. It is more tragic, that we all saw it coming, and no one could do anything to stop it. This is the same sad story of many other people in this world caught up with drug addiction. 

Sources

Still Buddies: 2 Guys With One Name

Corey Haim Dies

Corey Haim, Actor, Dies at 38  

Even though it is considered by some to be the most harmless illegal drug there is, marijuana still causes a lot of problems. In a handful of states, marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes. This comes after years of advocates pushing for the drug to be legalized for patients, to treat things like chronic pain, nausea, and anxiety. Many people are trying to make marijuana completely legal, but that kind of progression seems pretty far off.

Medicinal Marijuana

For those states that do permit marijuana for medical purposes, authorities are having a hard time enforcing the laws regarding this substance. While they need to and want to maintain the rights of patients, lines are often blurred between medicinal use and recreational use. If police go after pot growers who are supplying for users for illegal recreational purposes, they run the risk of cutting off the supply also for patients who use it legally. Unless you legalize marijuana possession for growers, dispensaries, and distributers, there will be a negative effect on patients. But, if all these other people are allowed into the loop to supply it to patients, you can expect that some will be selling it to others who aren’t patients as well. The way some of these states are enforcing or not enforcing marijuana use has caused havoc for both authorities and patients.

Marijuana and Teens

Many people feel strongly one way or another about the place marijuana holds in our society. There is much support for the legalization of marijuana to relieve pain and distress to patient. But in many ways, even this is causing an obstacle for certain other groups of people, including teens and adolescents, who are easily influenced about things like drugs. A recent study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) suggests that the medical marijuana issue is causing confusion among teens about the seriousness of marijuana and drugs in general. Many teens today think that marijuana is not that bad for them to use, since it is legal for some patients. The result is that marijuana usage in teens is on the rise again and more teens are even in need of treatment for the habit.

Effects of Marijuana

Then there’s the question of what marijuana does to the mind and body. It may not be as addicting as painkillers, or as life-threatening as heroin, but marijuana does have negative effects on the body. It slows the brain, it effects motor coordination, and it increases heart rate. Over time, marijuana is thought to cause brain damage, including memory loss and learning problems. Some people may deny it, but marijuana also is both physically and psychologically addicting. Part of the danger with marijuana is that it is often seen as so harmless. Many people are drawn into just trying marijuana, but then they find themselves years down the line, still using it, or moving on to more dangerous drugs. Before they know it they have lost control of their lives. We need to set boundaries with this drug, and make it clear to young people that it is dangerous to get caught up with any kind of substance.

Sources

Medical marijuana-The legal questions

Medical-pot bill one political puff away from passage

Medical marijuana blurs lines on dangers for teens

As much as we try to deny differences between different races of people, there are some characteristics that tend to run along ethnic lines. The benefit to identifying these tendencies is that it can help determine where help, education, and prevention are needed most.

SAMHSA Study on African American Drinking

A new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found differences between African Americans and other ethnic groups when it comes to alcohol abuse. African Americans have a lower drinking rate in general – 44% compared to 55.2% of the rest of the population. And they are much less likely to binge drink (25.3% compared to 41.6%) than the general public. However, the rate of illegal drug use among African American adults (9.5%) is slightly higher than the rest of the country (7.9%).

Past studies have also found that the consequences for minorities, including African Americans, that abuse alcohol are often more severe than for other groups. Minority groups are more likely to suffer health problems, legal consequences, and injury because of alcohol consumption.

The SAMHSA study also found that even though they drink less and do it less often, more African Americans are in need of addiction treatment. And among those that do enter treatment, minority groups are less likely to complete a program or see favorable results from the treatment program.

Giving Help to Different Groups

The purpose of these studies is not to simply point out differences between groups of people, but to determine the best way to provide help and prevention techniques. Maybe more education could focus on helping young African Americans stay safe and avoid negative situations when drinking socially, or where to go for help when someone is suffering from addiction. More education should be geared toward Caucasians and college students who are known for dangerous binge drinking.

A little education can go a long way. Programs can be offered in schools, at community centers, and through churches or social organizations. Any group of people that is found to be at a higher risk for substance abuse or to suffer consequences because of substance abuse should be the focus for more prevention campaigns.

Treatment is also vital for different groups of people. For those that have a hard time succeeding in an outpatient treatment program, other programs including residential or more intense outpatient treatment, should be encouraged. For those in low income areas, or those that do not have access to proper addiction treatment, efforts should be made to offer programs in these areas. Studies like the SAMHSA one help determine the best way to offer both prevention techniques and substance abuse help when needed.

Sources

African-American and Hispanic alcohol abusers need more residential alcohol treatment

Study: Blacks Drink Less, But More Likely to Use Illicit Drugs

Alcohol and drug abuse, flu shots and lactose intolerance

Up until recently, and even now in many cases, people being treated for  mental health disorders have had more restrictions placed on them when it came to insurance coverage. New steps are being taken to provide equal benefits for those seeking help for their mental health.

The Importance of Mental Health

Mental health is a topic that has moved to the forefront in recent years. We now realize how important good mental health is, and how negatively poor mental health can affect different aspects of a person’s life. Depression, anxiety, and other disorders can lead to poor physical health, behavioral problems, and substance abuse or addiction. Problems with work, family, and relationships often follow a mental health disorder.

More and more people are being diagnosed and treated for mental health disorders. These may be caused by genetics, upbringing, past experiences, or trauma. Some mental health problems are caused by substance abuse, making it important to identify and deal with all underlying causes and dual diagnosis when treating mental health. But for many people needing this type of help, the cost for treatment is beyond their means.

An act that was passed in 2008, called the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, is designed to help those seeking treatment for mental health and addiction. This Act, which went into effect this year, ensures that employees with mental health coverage receive the same benefits for mental health treatment as they do for medical and surgical treatments. The Act does not allow additional limits to be placed on mental health benefits that are not placed on other types of care as well. Under this act, the coverage that is offered must be equal for all the different aspects of health care, including mental health.

Against the Act

There are people who oppose this Act and others like it. Cost of insurance will likely increase, and with health care being widely debated in our country, many people are not in favor of increasing the cost and coverage of any type of health care.

Supporting the Act

But for those that understand the implications of poor mental health, the results of caring for mental health are far-reaching. A person that is being cared for mentally will be more stable and able to hold down a job. Employees that struggle with depression, post traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, or other disorders that aren’t being treated will be less productive, and may show shortcomings in other areas as well. Add to this the risk of substance abuse and addiction from patients that are self-medicating rather than seeking professional help, and the results are even more devastating. But mental health disorders can be treated. With the help of professional treatment, many people are able to carry on happy, normal lives.

Sources

Regulations issued on mental health and substance abuse parity in group health plans

Mental-Health Benefits

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity in Michigan

Relapse is such a big danger to those attempting sobriety, and it is important that both the rehab facility and the recovering addict have a solid plan in place to help avoid relapse. For recovering addicts that go right back to their old life and friends, the chance of relapse is going to be much higher. Someone breaking free from addiction needs to surround themselves with positive activities, support groups, and continuing treatment for the best chance at success.

Sober Housing

One problem that some patients encounter is finding suitable living conditions. These may be people that lost their house and family because of their drug abuse or alcoholism. It is difficult to rise up from rock bottom, being alone in the world, living on the streets or in a shelter, with no family left for support. These people may break free from drugs with the help of a facility, but for many people, entry back into the real world can be a difficult task. That’s when aftercare housing comes into the picture. Some organizations offer housing specifically for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. These may be apartments or multi-level houses that offer a place to live and additional support for those recovering from addiction. This kind of housing is often a great benefit to those working to stay sober because it allows them to be surrounded by others that are recovering, it gives them access to treatment programs and support groups, and it holds them accountable to staying sober. Drug tests are usually mandatory for these housing facilities in order to ensure that residents are keeping their commitment to stay clean. Other benefits to these types of housing may include reduced or free rent for a period of time, and access to things like food banks, clothing donations, and job opportunities.

Encouragement to Stay Sober

Living in an aftercare facility is not necessary for everyone recovering from addiction. Many people are fortunate to still have the support of close family or friends to help and encourage them to stay sober. A family that has gone through treatment together will be stronger and better equipped to help their loved one avoid relapse. But for all the people that have no one close to rely on, aftercare housing is a great option. The fellow residents become their extended family and together these individuals are able to encourage each other to stay clean.

Relapse will still be a problem, even for patients with family or aftercare housing. It is important for treatment programs to continue to work with their patients after rehab, in order to encourage them to remain sober. Support groups are a must, as they offer valuable healing and encouragement on the road to recovery. Recovery is a life-long journey, and the risk will still be there to relapse, but people are able to carry on with a normal life after some time, with the help of support groups along the way.

Sources

Communal Housing Settings Enhance Substance Abuse Recovery

Mass.gov 

Finding a way out

Vancouver, Canada, has a drug problem. The city is known for its heroin addicts, marijuana users, and methamphetamine addicts. Maybe more importantly, it is known for its ways of dealing with these drugs and their users. It has taken controversial steps that few other countries in the Western World have taken in an attempt to make a difference for its drug users.

Some people would call their approach a social experiment, or that the government is looking the other way or even encouraging drugs use. But for many, Vancouver’s handling of illegal drugs has been a life saver.

InSite

The city of Vancouver gives money every year to a community organization to operate a facility called InSite. This facility takes a very controversial approach to dealing with drug addicts. In fact, it is the only facility of its kind in North America. InSite is a building where drug addicts can go to shoot up “in safety”. Users must supply their own drugs, but are provided with clean needles and syringes, and are supervised by medical staff in case they overdose. InSite oversees an average of 491 injections per day, and many of its addicts come back repeatedly throughout the day to get their fix.

Supporters

The history of InSite has been plagued with conflict. Several legal challenges have threatened to close its doors, and parts of the Conservative federal government have worked to close InSite. But so far, the courts have ruled in favor of this facility. Supporters say that their primary goal is to reduce harm to addicts, by preventing the spread of disease and the risk of overdose. The British Columbia Ministry of Health Services provides money for InSite, and the police force in Vancouver says it helps them promote harm reduction. Supporters say because of InSite there are fewer crimes, fewer homicides, and fewer drug overdoses in Vancouver. InSite also offers counseling and treatment services to help the addicts that want to get clean.

Opponents

But the problem that most other people have with InSite is that it allows addicts to stay in their addiction. InSite helps addicts maintain a “functioning junkie” status. By taking away some of the dangers of substance abuse, InSite allows these people to continue using their drugs with few consequences. It encourages drug addicts to use drugs, and doesn’t seem to encourage often enough the benefits of detox and treatment. The benefit of facilities like InSite is that they prevent a number of overdoses. InSite staff intervened on 484 overdoses, lives that would have been lost had they not been at InSite. But these drug addicts, no matter how hard they try, cannot really function in society, and giving them the means to continue in their drug usage is not benefitting them in the long run. Last year, 411 people were admitted to detox at InSite. Maybe with more patients in a successful detox program, they would have fewer patients in their injection booths, and they would really save lives.

Sources

InSite

Vancouver’s ’safe house’ for drug addicts draws controversy

Near Olympics, Vancouver’s (mostly) legal drug zone

Linda Robertson: Vancouver’s ‘real world,’ outside Olympic bubble

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and maybe you feel like you gave your sweetheart that perfect gift, but maybe this wasn’t your best Valentine’s Day. In fact, maybe your honey is not really happy with you right now, and you feel like you disappoint him or her more than you make them smile.

People living in a world of drug addiction or alcoholism often have a hard time staying connected with people they love and care about. It’s not that you don’t love them anymore; it’s just that right now the main thing you are concerned about is getting high again. You are tired of your wife or your family member nagging you to quit the substance or get help, and all you really want to do right now is get more of your drug.

Reasons to Get Sober

Some people need something to really get them motivated to get clean. Interventions, with the help of a trained professional, are often effective ways to convince someone to get help. Sometimes a person needs to hit rock bottom and feel totally helpless before they are ready to admit they have a problem. But other people have other wake-up calls in their lives that put an end to their substance abuse. There are stories of the man who was an alcoholic for most of his life until he met his newborn granddaughter for the first time, and he never drank again. There are those who lose a loved one to cancer or other illness, and it makes them look at life differently, putting an end to their substance abuse.

Sometimes people with an addiction will decide it’s time to get help when they see the plea in their loved one’s eyes.

There has to be a reason why someone with a substance abuse problem becomes willing to call it quits, and it often has to do with how the addiction affects people around them. While many people do get clean because it’s something they want to do for themselves, people are more likely to try to get sober for a loved one.

What a great Valentine’s gift that would be – the gift of their spouse, or son, or daughter back. The gift of a healthy, involved family member back in their life, no longer wasted all the time, but working hard to get their life in shape.

Help is out there. With determination and some hard work, there is hope for those struggling with an addiction right now. We don’t have to wait for a holiday to show our loved ones that we care. Getting help for an addiction is the first step to repairing strained relationships.

Sources 

Addict Learns To Repair Relationship With Son Thanks To Narconon Drug

Michael’s House

Drugabuse.gov

Mexico is a country under pressure right now with wars between the government and drug cartels, as well as between different cartel groups themselves. When Felipe Calderon came to power as the Mexican president in 2006, he declared a war on drug cartels in the country. To do this meant they would stop trying to catch and punish addicts that were dealing drugs to support their own habit. Rather, the focus turned to getting them into treatment for their addiction, while focusing on seizing the big dealers. The result of this is that many drug addicts have been channeled into treatment facilities, but it also has caused drug cartels to get desperate.

War in Treatment Facilities

In the city of Ciudad Juarez last year, just across the border from El Paso, TX, members of the Sinaloa drug cartel opened fire in a rehabilitation clinic. This was just one of many incidents by desperate cartel members. Over the year, numerous attacks were made on either former addicts that were no longer going to be dealing drugs, or on members of other cartels that were recruiting dealers in the clinics. The battlefield has moved from the streets into rehab facilities in Mexico.

Recruiting Recovering Addicts

Drug cartels are now trying to take over the treatment industry in certain cities of Mexico. Their goal is to recruit more drug dealers for their organized crime. Using intimidation, brainwashing, and force, cartels are able control those trying to get out of addiction. Some cartel members check themselves into rundown, unlicensed clinics, posing as patients. After a short time, the cartels take over the clinic and begin to try to convince the patients to go out and sell drugs. If they refuse, the patients are beaten or killed.

Some of these cartel members are successful in recruiting new dealers from rehab facilities. They have the perfect prey; people who often don’t have any close family or friends, are at a low point in their life, and feel they have no place to turn. They often have no money, no hope of a job, and they are easily convinced that they can do no better than deal drugs. With the threat of bodily harm, many people are easy to convince.

The whole situation in Mexico seems almost unbelievable. But many people don’t seem too worked up about it, and think that it is just a last ditch effort by the cartels to gain some power back. While the Mexican government knows their country has a problem with both drugs and crime, they are waiting out the effects of the decriminalization. Other countries, including the United States, are watching this state of affairs closely. Everyone wants to find a good solution to the drug problem, and there will most likely be things our country can learn from the way things are turning out in Mexico.

Sources

17 patients killed in shooting at Mexican drug rehab center 

New Threat to Mexico’s Drug Cartels: Rehab Centers

Mexico drug cartels go into the rehab business

Recently, I hit another milestone in my life. My 4-year old daughter told us that she wanted to run away because we didn’t love her and were mean to her. The precipitating event for her decision was the fact that her mother would not let her eat chocolate before bedtime. The nerve of that woman, how could a mother be so cruel!

I sat down on the couch with my daughter and helped her decide what she would need to pack; some food in case she got hungry, some warm clothes in case it got cold, some toys in case she got bored – but only a couple of her favorites because she couldn’t carry too many, and of course an umbrella in case it rained. Wow, lots of stuff! After our discussion, she decided she didn’t want to run away anymore and could suffer some chocolate deprivation.

I refer to this as a milestone in my life because I have used this example with many client parents we have had in treatment but had never experienced it firsthand. I have told many parents whose children call them to report, “the treatment center is locking them in the closet and beating them with sticks,” that situation is not unlike the little kid who wants to run away. If you let them go they get down the street and look at the great big world, it won’t be long before they hightail it home.

It is not unlike that with some of our clients; they are confronted with their pain and told that they are going to have to relinquish their coping skills and deal with it in unfamiliar ways. The whole experience is extremely painful. Their first instinct is to run but it is a well known fact that most addicts do not have the ability to sustain their addiction without some support, therefore we encourage family and friends to withdrawal any support other than supporting treatment and recovery.

I have had many clients prematurely leave our facilities, but once they found that no one would support/enable them, they quickly returned and began a meaningful treatment experience – not unlike the little kid who runs away from home.

I am somewhat making light of this but the analogy is a basic reaction. I know that absolutely nothing rivals the anguish and pain family members go through when they have to cut a loved one off in order to save the addict’s life…especially parents. It is completely against every paternal instinct and inclination. It is however, always necessary.

I am reminded of a story I once read about a missionary who was in a remote location in India and had a son born there with a clubfoot. This condition could easily have been corrected with surgery; however, there was no hospital for miles. One of the missionary doctors explained that everyday this man would have to turn and hold his son’s foot for 20 minutes. This was very painful for the little boy. The missionary spoke of how painful it was to cause such pain for his son. He spoke of how his son would scream, cry and yell, “I hate you,” while he turned the boy’s foot and how those words broke his heart. Then he spoke of the joy he felt when some years later he watched his son run across the soccer field.

The fact is, it is very easy to focus all of our attention on the addict and neglect the pain that their loved ones are suffering. We are constantly asking parents and significant others to practice behaviors that are completely unnatural to them. I don’t know what I would have done had my daughter got up and walked out the door or if I would have had the wherewithal to stand back and allow her to fully experience the consequences of that action; would I be able to sit on my hands until she decided to come back; honestly, I doubt it. I just want to say that we at TSN try to be aware of the family’s needs while we are taking care of their loved ones but I believe today I have a better understanding of what we are asking of them and I know I will be more empathetic. It is not that what we are asking them to do is wrong – it truly is the best thing they can do. That does not make it easy and we need to have patience with them. I also know that without stories like the young girl’s in the article below, I don’t think I could go on in this business. I am including it because I believe it may give some parent out there hope. This young girl came in kicking and screaming and wanted to leave after a week.

By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
NORTH HAVEN

For the first time in four years, Barbara Hoffman is clean. 



A drug user since 14, the 18-year-old is living in a halfway house in Florida after 60 days of treatment. “All my energy is back. My head is a lot clearer. I don’t need to lie, cheat or steal from my parents,” said the teenager, who estimates she stole money and goods from her parents worth $20,000 from the time she started drinking and using marijuana, cocaine, Ecstasy and prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Xanax.


Her parents, Adam and Joanne Hoffman of North Haven, knew their daughter smoked pot, but were shocked to learn she was addicted to prescription drugs. Now that she’s in rehabilitation, they’re coming forward because they don’t want another family to suffer their pain.
Their world blew apart when they learned a week before Barbara Hoffman was to leave for college in September that she was on a downward spiral, addicted to OxyContin.
“I want to save another parent, another kid, from going through what our family has gone through,” Joanne Hoffman said. “Drugs should not be a secret. That’s how they thrive.”

Prescription pill addiction became an issue in North Haven about a year ago, when more than a dozen people were arrested for numerous burglaries, some dating back to 2006. Police said the burglaries appeared to be connected to the abuse of prescription drugs by some of the young people arrested.



In North Haven in 2008, there were seven arrests involving illegal possession of OxyContin and 26 heroin arrests, according to Capt. James Merrithew, who runs the detective division. In 2009, police made 16 heroin arrests and 19 arrests for pills. Authorities said most users graduate from pills to heroin because it’s cheaper.

Police believe the addictions force users to take advantage of any opportunity to commit burglaries or larcenies.

The town’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council recently created and mailed a brochure to residents about the dangers of prescription painkillers. The town also plans to apply for a $125,000 federal grant that would help the town fight the problem, said Director of Community Services and Recreation Gerardo Sorkin.



The council will continue to educate the community, and this spring hopes to have a program so residents can get rid of their unused prescription drugs. Talks also are planned for the schools.

“We’re very concerned that kids don’t understand how serious addiction to prescription drugs can be,” said Superintendent of Schools Sara-Jane R. Querfeld, a council member. “We’re not seeing any evidence of it at the high school but that doesn’t mean they’re not doing it.”

FROM A GOOD HOME

North Haven parents have been reaching out to Parents 4 a Change, a Southington organization run by Mary Marcuccio, a woman credited with saving the lives of numerous young people, including Barbara Hoffman.

“It’s sad, but the good thing is families are getting help,” said a North Haven mother whose daughter is no longer addicted to OxyContin. She and her daughter continue to be active with Parents 4 a Change.

Parents 4 a Change instructs parents to create an unfriendly environment for their children if they suspect drug use. Parents need to know their children’s friends and need to know where their money is going. Parents in the group said their kids have taken money from their bank accounts or have stolen items from their homes to buy drugs.



The mother said the parents involved in Parents 4 a Change are caring people who were close to their children and made extraordinary efforts to help them once an addiction became known.

Take the Hoffmans, for example. Married for 25 years, Adam Hoffman owns Godfrey-Hoffman Associates, an engineering and surveying firm. Joanne Hoffman is a nutritionist who runs her business in her husband’s building on Broadway. Joanne Hoffman was a room mother when her daughter was in elementary school. She belonged to the PTA, she was a Girl Scout leader, and Adam Hoffman never missed a soccer game.

“I never thought my kid would be involved” with drugs, said Joanne Hoffman.

“The Hoffmans are a good example of parents who are willing to educate themselves and take productive steps to help their child,” said Marcuccio, whose monthly meetings at Derynoski Middle School in Southington now draw 80 people. “Parents are coming out of the closet.”



Barbara Hoffman, 18, graduated from North Haven High School in June. She earned almost straight A’s, took Advanced Placement psychology, was a CAPT scholar, a varsity soccer player for four years and was in the Latin Club. She was planning to major in business.

But a week before she was to leave for Bryant University in Rhode Island, her parents found out she had an OxyContin problem. They had been aware, previously, that she smoked pot, and asked her to stop.

Barbara Hoffman said that starting at 14, she smoked pot about five times a day, every day. It wasn’t that hard to get. Drinking was more of a weekend thing, when friends would steal liquor from their parents’ homes or liquor stores would sell to underage youths.



Barbara Hoffman said her parents didn’t know what she was doing, but some kids had parents who didn’t care that they drank.

When she was 16, she started to experiment with other drugs, OxyContin being the first. She was addicted immediately. Drug-addiction experts and many medical studies, including at Yale University, have linked addiction to genetics. In other words, some people may be genetically hard-wired to become addicts.

“We were just bored. We thought it would be fun. We thought it would be a good idea,” she said of the people she used to hang out with. She tried cocaine a couple of times and didn’t like it, but she liked Ecstasy. When her friends stopped doing it, she continued. When her parents saw the pills, she convinced them they didn’t belong to her.

“I’m a good talker,” she said.



Her parents forbade her to smoke pot, and they started testing her for drugs. So, she stopped smoking and picked up OxyContin, which the tests didn’t pick up.

“During this time, I was breaking up with my boyfriend of three years. I started doing Oxys every day,” going from a few 40-milligram pills to 10 80-milligram pills a day.

She had a job so she had her own money.

“I stole from my parents a lot. … I pawned all my gold, my parents’ gold. At the time I didn’t think it was a big deal because it seemed like everyone was doing it. Now I feel terrible. They worked hard for that stuff and I just took it and sold it like it was mine. I can’t even go by a pawn shop any more,” she said.

INTERVENTION

The moment of truth was Aug. 27, 2009.

“We confronted her with it. … Her new boyfriend, from Hamden, was the dealer,” Adam Hoffman said.

“It was right out of a movie. She acted like a caged animal and said she wasn’t an addict. It was horrifying,” Joanne Hoffman said.

During the confrontation, they had Marcuccio on the phone and she told them what to say.

“Without Mary, the kid would be dead,” Adam Hoffman said.

She was taken to the Stonington Institute, but ran away three times and came back home, saying she could get clean on her own. She then received outpatient services at the University of Connecticut Medical Center and received a shot of Naltrexone, an opiate blocker. She was going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Barbara Hoffman said she hit rock bottom on the night of Oct. 30, when she totaled her car on Interstate 91 after snorting crushed Xanax pills. She was arrested.



Her parents gave her an ultimatum: out-of-state rehab or be kicked out of the house.

On Nov. 3, she was flown to Treatment Solutions of South Florida on the recommendation of Parents 4 a Change.

“She can probably never live in North Haven again because of the sights, sounds and smells. Everyone she knows does anything from drink to use heroin. She can’t handle it,” Joanne Hoffman said.

Adam and Joanne Hoffman attended three “intensive days” of instruction about pharmacology, drug addiction and its causes through the Treatment Solutions Network. They’ll have to attend Nar-Anon, which helps parents of addicts.

They believe that their daughter took drugs to feel better.

“She tried it and had no reason to stop. It made her feel good,” Joanne Hoffman said.

Michael Blackburn from Treatment Solutions Network says there’s a need for what his group does.



Barbara Hoffman had 60 days of inpatient treatment before being transferred to the halfway house, where she lives with five other young women. “She’s doing well,” Blackburn said.

“This rehab is like no other. They call you on your (expletive). It was good, honest. It’s the first time I’ve been to rehab where I actually want to be clean,” she said.

Being in an area in which a recovering addict is unfamiliar helps because the person doesn’t have access to dealers. It challenges the person to get well on his or her own. “The program teaches life and living skills,” Blackburn said.

“She’s seeking a job with the support of Treatment Solutions,” Joanne Hoffman said. “She’ll start college in the fall, knock on wood.”


If you are in love with someone who is struggling with an addiction we have many resources listed on our website www.treatmentsolutionsnetwork.com/families

Jim Bevell
CEO Treatment Solutions Network
561 577-3174
jimb@tsnemail.com