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Teen Addictions: The Untold Story Reported
by Lisa Benson Email: benson@nbcactionnews.com Last Update: 1:09 pm www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=49833bdf-41ad-4356-b998-28eeeea29334 Related Links
PrescriptionDrugAddiction.com Prescription Drug Use and Abuse
by FDA JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. - Bridget is a 16-year-old Johnson County teen. She has a loving mother, step-father and two younger siblings. She also has an addiction to prescription drugs. Bridget’s addiction did not start with prescription drugs. At the age of 14, she experimented with marijuana, but considered herself a social user, only partaking when marijuana was available, never purchasing for herself. The distinction of a "social" drug user changed when Bridget was 15. Bridget says a stomach ache at school prompted another student to offer her medication. Unbeknownst to her at the time, that was the beginning of her prescription drug addiction. “He gave me this whole bottle and I think I took like 11 of them. That's where it all started. I knew prescription pills could mess you up, but I never had really done em'. I didn't have contact until then,” Bridget recalled. Bridget fed her addiction through her mother’s prescription medications and her friend’s medicine cabinets. The accessibility of the prescription medications allowed Bridget to easily access the high she was looking for. “You don't have to pay for them if you just steal them from your parents, or get your friends to like get their parents. You don't have pay someone and you don't have to call somebody,” Bridget explained. Through a web of lies and deceit, Bridget was able to keep her addiction under control for more than a year. “Prescription drugs would not be the only drug I would do,” Bridget stated. Eventually, her mother Carol, noticed changes in her behavior, and a lack of interest in volleyball. Carol suspected drugs were to blame. Carol took Bridget to the doctor for a check up, and her fears were confirmed. However, the degree of her daughter’s drug use was not clear until more than a year later. Bridget was arrested for assaulting her mother and three police officers. A Mother's Nightmare (Getty Images) Related Links WEB EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Addicted Teen’s Mother Carol has enjoyed a close relationship with her daughter, but believes Bridget had more independence than she needed living between two divorced parents. Carol and her first husband divorced when Bridget was 3. For years, Bridget lived in two states, traveling back and forth to spend equal time with each parent. Carol believes Bridget had “user friends” in both states. When Bridget was 15, she quit her high school volleyball team, a game that she had previously loved. Carol initially fought the decision, but soon accepted that her daughter was no longer interested in the game. Then Carol noticed other behavioral problems. “I was surprised that she'd skipped a class,” Carol said. Carol also noticed Bridget was often irritable and very secretive. Carol decided to take her daughter to the doctor. Carol admitted, “I knew something was definitely not right, and my mother intuition kicked in.” After the doctor's confirmation, Carol enrolled Bridget in her first out-patient treatment program. However, Bridget was still secretively using - a secret that would soon be revealed. Two days after her first stint in rehab, Bridget went to a movie and didn't return home. Later that night, Carol found her daughter at a friend's house. She was high on prescription drugs and furious with her mother. Bridget physically attacked Carol. Onlookers called police. “She was extremely aggressive, it wasn't her. She ran around the car and just started attacking me. She had me by the hair and wouldn't let go. My hair was coming out,” Carol said. “My daughter's chemistry doesn't know when to stop. She can't just take the one pill. She needs to take the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and the eighth to feel the affect.” Police arrested Bridget for assaulting her mother, and three police officers. From her jail cell, Bridget was taken straight to the hospital for detoxification. Carol says Bridget had taken so many prescription pills, that she couldn't feel pain. Carol added, “My daughter's chemistry doesn't know when to stop. She can't just take the one pill. She needs to take the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and the eighth to feel the effect.” Carol soon realized she needed more help to fight her daughter’s addiction. She admitted Bridget to a 90 day residential treatment center. Bridget spends 24 hours a day in a controlled environment, where she can’t access prescription medications. Living at home with her husband and two other children, Carol sometimes feels guilty about her daughter’s addiction, questioning, “Was I a bad mother? Had I done something wrong? Was I not in tuned to things?” These questions still haunt Carol’s mind from time to time, but for now she looks forward to her daughter’s weekly home visits, and the day that her daughter beats her addiction to prescription drugs for good. In the meantime, Carol tries to help other parents learn the warning signs of a prescription drug addiction. She also encouraged everyone to take preventative measures to protect metro teens, by locking up all prescription medications. What Parents Need To Know Related Links National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence/Greater Kansas City If you believe your teen is abusing prescription drugs, there is help here in the Kansas City metro area. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence/Greater Kansas City is available to help those suffering from the disease of alcoholism and other forms of addiction. They offer help, hope and healing to all who come through our doors. They have a 24/7 hotline at (816) 361-5900 or (913) 223-0747. This line is always answered by a real voice, and a certified counselor is always available. Help is also available on their Web site. In addition to school-based programs, NCADD/Greater KC provides services to individuals, families and professionals. Because the NCADD/Greater KC believes that too many lives have been lost and families destroyed because of addiction, it is committed to providing assistance to those in need regardless of their ability to pay. The “How to Cope” program is an award winning model program for families dealing with a loved one and the disease of addiction. Alcoholism and addiction are the number one diseases afflicting our nation today. They are chronic and terminal but they are also treatable. Most of those who seek treatment can live a healthy, happy life in recovery. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Kansas City helps build that bridge to recovery.
by Lisa Benson Email: benson@nbcactionnews.com Last Update: 1:09 pm www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=49833bdf-41ad-4356-b998-28eeeea29334 Related Links
PrescriptionDrugAddiction.com Prescription Drug Use and Abuse
by FDA JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. - Bridget is a 16-year-old Johnson County teen. She has a loving mother, step-father and two younger siblings. She also has an addiction to prescription drugs. Bridget’s addiction did not start with prescription drugs. At the age of 14, she experimented with marijuana, but considered herself a social user, only partaking when marijuana was available, never purchasing for herself. The distinction of a "social" drug user changed when Bridget was 15. Bridget says a stomach ache at school prompted another student to offer her medication. Unbeknownst to her at the time, that was the beginning of her prescription drug addiction. “He gave me this whole bottle and I think I took like 11 of them. That's where it all started. I knew prescription pills could mess you up, but I never had really done em'. I didn't have contact until then,” Bridget recalled. Bridget fed her addiction through her mother’s prescription medications and her friend’s medicine cabinets. The accessibility of the prescription medications allowed Bridget to easily access the high she was looking for. “You don't have to pay for them if you just steal them from your parents, or get your friends to like get their parents. You don't have pay someone and you don't have to call somebody,” Bridget explained. Through a web of lies and deceit, Bridget was able to keep her addiction under control for more than a year. “Prescription drugs would not be the only drug I would do,” Bridget stated. Eventually, her mother Carol, noticed changes in her behavior, and a lack of interest in volleyball. Carol suspected drugs were to blame. Carol took Bridget to the doctor for a check up, and her fears were confirmed. However, the degree of her daughter’s drug use was not clear until more than a year later. Bridget was arrested for assaulting her mother and three police officers. A Mother's Nightmare (Getty Images) Related Links WEB EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Addicted Teen’s Mother Carol has enjoyed a close relationship with her daughter, but believes Bridget had more independence than she needed living between two divorced parents. Carol and her first husband divorced when Bridget was 3. For years, Bridget lived in two states, traveling back and forth to spend equal time with each parent. Carol believes Bridget had “user friends” in both states. When Bridget was 15, she quit her high school volleyball team, a game that she had previously loved. Carol initially fought the decision, but soon accepted that her daughter was no longer interested in the game. Then Carol noticed other behavioral problems. “I was surprised that she'd skipped a class,” Carol said. Carol also noticed Bridget was often irritable and very secretive. Carol decided to take her daughter to the doctor. Carol admitted, “I knew something was definitely not right, and my mother intuition kicked in.” After the doctor's confirmation, Carol enrolled Bridget in her first out-patient treatment program. However, Bridget was still secretively using - a secret that would soon be revealed. Two days after her first stint in rehab, Bridget went to a movie and didn't return home. Later that night, Carol found her daughter at a friend's house. She was high on prescription drugs and furious with her mother. Bridget physically attacked Carol. Onlookers called police. “She was extremely aggressive, it wasn't her. She ran around the car and just started attacking me. She had me by the hair and wouldn't let go. My hair was coming out,” Carol said. “My daughter's chemistry doesn't know when to stop. She can't just take the one pill. She needs to take the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and the eighth to feel the affect.” Police arrested Bridget for assaulting her mother, and three police officers. From her jail cell, Bridget was taken straight to the hospital for detoxification. Carol says Bridget had taken so many prescription pills, that she couldn't feel pain. Carol added, “My daughter's chemistry doesn't know when to stop. She can't just take the one pill. She needs to take the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and the eighth to feel the effect.” Carol soon realized she needed more help to fight her daughter’s addiction. She admitted Bridget to a 90 day residential treatment center. Bridget spends 24 hours a day in a controlled environment, where she can’t access prescription medications. Living at home with her husband and two other children, Carol sometimes feels guilty about her daughter’s addiction, questioning, “Was I a bad mother? Had I done something wrong? Was I not in tuned to things?” These questions still haunt Carol’s mind from time to time, but for now she looks forward to her daughter’s weekly home visits, and the day that her daughter beats her addiction to prescription drugs for good. In the meantime, Carol tries to help other parents learn the warning signs of a prescription drug addiction. She also encouraged everyone to take preventative measures to protect metro teens, by locking up all prescription medications. What Parents Need To Know Related Links National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence/Greater Kansas City If you believe your teen is abusing prescription drugs, there is help here in the Kansas City metro area. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence/Greater Kansas City is available to help those suffering from the disease of alcoholism and other forms of addiction. They offer help, hope and healing to all who come through our doors. They have a 24/7 hotline at (816) 361-5900 or (913) 223-0747. This line is always answered by a real voice, and a certified counselor is always available. Help is also available on their Web site. In addition to school-based programs, NCADD/Greater KC provides services to individuals, families and professionals. Because the NCADD/Greater KC believes that too many lives have been lost and families destroyed because of addiction, it is committed to providing assistance to those in need regardless of their ability to pay. The “How to Cope” program is an award winning model program for families dealing with a loved one and the disease of addiction. Alcoholism and addiction are the number one diseases afflicting our nation today. They are chronic and terminal but they are also treatable. Most of those who seek treatment can live a healthy, happy life in recovery. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Kansas City helps build that bridge to recovery.
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