Teenage Addiction Questions

Teenage Addiction Questions

I believe my son/daughter is taking my prescription medication.

Why spend money with a drug dealer if there are good drugs in your own house? Don’t assume that your kids won’t take your prescription medications.

For starters, the most immediate thing to do is cut off the access. Keep your prescription medications in a secure location. The medicine cabinet in a common bathroom is not that area. If you have your own, private bathroom, that is no protection from curious and resourceful kids.

Furthermore, as extreme as it sounds, it’s a good idea for you to control ALL medications in your home. If you child needs an aspirin, you give it to them.

Be sure to inventory your drugs to keep an accurate count of how much you have on hand. If your medication supply is depleting more rapidly than the prescribed amount calls for, you have evidence that someone else might be taking them.

If a prescription has expired, or is no longer needed, discard it. Let’s say you had a hip injury and the doctor gave you some pain medication to help you through. You have some left over. Don’t keep it.

There are public service announcements that have run on television about how teens get their hands on prescription medications.

The medications are unguarded, and teens take them, thinking they will get “high.” Taking someone else’s prescription medication, especially if you don’t know what it’s for, is like playing “Russian Roulette” with your brains.

Talk to your kids and have a conversation about both prescription medications and over-the-counter medications. We all want our teens to be respectful of the drugs in our homes, and we expect them to listen and cooperate.

But let that be a mutual understanding. Talk with them and listen to them. Be sure to inspect what you expect. You need to be the parent and the watchdog in your house.

For more answers to Teenage Addiction questions concerning Teens click here

My struggle through the 12 steps!

by Jimmy
(NJ)

The following is a story of the struggle to overcome my relationship with cocaine addiction. You will see terms such as she, her, my love. These are all references to cocaine.

I clearly remember the day I realized that she had made my life unmanageable. I was alone at this point, she once again had left me broken and depressed, but the difference is this time I had pushed everyone who cared about me out of my life, cause she told me that they were all wrong, that there was nothing wrong with our love.

You see real family and friends had warned me I was spending too much time with her, she wasn’t good for me and eventually she would break me. I did not believe them. On this day I woke up turned over to kiss her as I had every morning, but something stopped me. I went into the bathroom, I looked in the mirror and began to cry. I had spent so much time with her that I had lost weight, had bags under my eyes, and was a shell of who I once was.

I looked at her and just couldn’t bear the sight of her anymore. She got mad and promised that I would dream of her when she wasn’t there, that I would never find a love like her again.

At this point I began to pray for my life. I needed to believe something could bring me back to reality, to break this sick love I had for her. Oh she didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t live like this anymore. I began to pray to a God of my understanding, the God who created the universe, the God who showed their existence through the complexity of life, universe, and being.

My only delivery

This God of my understanding was the only thing I believed could deliver me from her hell. I had no choice but to trust in their existence and believe that if I turned my fate and my life over, I would be saved from sure death.

As I sat and prayed, I began to look through my own existence and see where I went wrong and how I ended up with her. I realized that when I was with her, I forgot about any and all problems, they were still there, but our love blinded me to the fact my problems were growing.

I realized that in my own head, the way I walked, talked and thought, had led me to her. I lied, stole, and manipulated people whether I was with her or not.

The difference was she accepted me no matter what. She told me she loved me no matter what I did, but especially loved that I would do anything for her. I realized my love for her had twisted the moral fiber of my soul and realized I needed to change this, all of it. There was no keeping defects I liked, I needed to change everything.

Completed my list

At this point, I made a list of the things I had done that was wrong. It was a long list, but I had to do this. Like letting balloons go in the sky, I needed to let this out and let it go. I hoped this would lighten the load of the world on my shoulders. I admitted my wrongs to my universal God, the Great Spirit, and to a close friend who had loved her once before, but was able to break his love and show me how to break mine.

By figuratively letting the balloons go, my defects, I began to feel better. I prayed to God to take my balloons, take them all for I do not want or need them anymore.


It was not easy to ask God to take these, but I had no choice, I had to put my head down and say “ Yes, I valued some of these things as a gift, but now they are my curse, please God take them.”

I began to think of all those I had pushed away because she told me to. Anyone that did not agree with our relationship, I shut out of my life. These people were the closet ones to me, my mother, my father, son, my brother and my sister. There were also many friends I had that did not like her, that I put on my list hoping they would accept my apology. They were right, I was wrong.

Also included on this list was myself. I had become so consumed with her, that I didn’t care bout myself, how I dressed, how I looked, whether I was clean or not, you see she didn’t care why should I? I could show up dirty looking like hell and she would still be there for me.

Visited people one-by-one

I went down my list and visited the people one by one. I was amazed at the joy in their faces to see me. They were so happy I had left her; they forgave me and said I was welcome back.

I did not understand, because I was so nasty with everyone, but they told me they know she had me under her spell, that it was not me talking, it was her. But I said that it was my choice to be with her, but they still forgave me. They had heard of her and knew what she was capable of.

Then I went to my son, who is very young, and I couldn’t explain to him quite yet about my sick love affair, but I apologized for not going to his games, not being there, and even not wanting to be with him, because I would rather be with her.

You see a judge had even told me I could not have my son over my house if I continued this love, so I basically told him I will love who I want, so I don’t care, no one can stop this affair. I realize now what a mistake this was.

It was taught to me that I needed to continue to watch my ways, for if went to my old ways, she somehow would find me. Whenever I was wrong in a situation, I made sure to take note and do things different, for I am so afraid of her coming back, that I do anything to keep her away. Oh make no mistake, I still dream of her, hold her, loving her.

These dreams were so real that I swore she was next to me; I would wake up, look to my side in horror, and then realize she wasn’t there. This was her trick to get me back, for she had forever been embedded in my mind.

I continued to pray to the God of my understanding, the Great Spirit, the universe itself. I prayed for guidance, for protection from her. I am so afraid of her that I can’t keep her away by myself; I need help to do so. The universe itself, the one I feel oneness with, protects me as long as I ask, and do what’s right by it.

Finally, and most important, I warned others of her sick love. I carried the message that you can break her love, but you have to be willing to. You see the evil she posses is timeless. Whether it was 120 years ago, when they believed she could help people or yesterday, she takes your soul all the same.

It is my job, and my duty to warn people of her, and in doing so I remind myself of her evil, and together we can keep her from tricking others.


My name is Jimmy, and she is and was cocaine.

My struggle...
by: Lynette

2/11

Dear Jimmy,

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your story! It is truly inspiring.

I am a recovering alcoholic - I have not drank for 25 years.

My son is a drug addict and alcoholic and, unfortunately, he is now in jail. He has been struggling with this for 13 years and he is 27 years old.

I can relate so much to what you said in your story.

I am going to copy it and send it to my son. He is now talking about turning his life around. He was actually clean for 7 months (for the first time in 13 years) and then relapsed. I hope and pray that he does. I go to Al Anon and it helps me immensely. I also see a counselor, talk to my minister and see a physician's assistant.

I hope you are getting all the support you can get. Being that you mentioned the 12 steps I am thinking that you are probably going to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous.

I think my son has tried just about every drug there is. But, it is ironic because the one he relapsed with was cocaine.

Well, God bless you and I will pray for you! Sincerely, Lynette

Her name is cocaine
by: Anonymous

Good analogy Jimmy. Cocaine addiction, like most, is a love affair. We addicts slowing go from liking to loving the feeling we get from drugs. Unfortunately the down side, the consequences, can be staggering. Then it's like a bad marriage that just keeps getting worse. Divorce is the only option.

"I continued to pray to the God of my understanding, the Great Spirit, the universe itself. I prayed for guidance, for protection from her. I am so afraid of her that I can?t keep her away by myself; I need help to do so."

It's a humbling admission to reach out for help, to say I can't do this alone. There is lots of help though. Lots of people who have fought this same battle and won. They meet in groups all over the globe.

Here's another 'woman' that you apparently must have bumped into along the way.

Proverbs 8:11

"for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with HER."

There is a lot of wisdom in the rooms.

Best, Joe