Wake-up Call to the Western Suburbs Regarding Teen Substance Abuse

What is the “word on the streets” in the western suburbs? Well if you are a parent living in the western suburbs you may be the last to know. Most parents in the western suburbs of Chicago do not spend much time “on the streets”. Most of their time is spent in office buildings, on Metra trains, in their cars stuck in traffic, working overtime, etc. The places that life in modern society dictates to us to be more than we would like. Only a select few occupations are privy to the real word on the streets. I am in one of them. I am a program administrator for a chemical dependency treatment agency called; Tools For Life. The word on the streets is that the western suburbs have been experiencing a significant increase in the use of heroin and methamphetamine (“crystal meth”) in local teens and young adults. The increase in numbers is alarming enough but what is more disturbing is the type of individuals that are using these very addictive and dangerous drugs. These drugs are no longer being used only by the hard-case outcasts on the fringes of adolescent society. They have found their way into a more mainstream status. As to the reasons for this I can only speculate that they are as complex and varied as adolescence itself. Some possibilities are, never before has heroin and crystal meth been more inexpensive and accessible. Anyone who has access to a car or other transportation and money has access to both drugs, in quantity. Most young adults in these areas have ample access to both. Heroin is typically brought into the suburbs from the city and distributed to individuals. “Crystal meth.” is now being made in makeshift labs in rural areas. These drugs can both act as emotional painkillers. Adolescence is painful. Also, young people typically have “hero’s” that they emulate. Today many young people are emulating urban figures of rap, hip-hop and grunge music with which these drugs seem to be the drugs of choice.

The other word on the streets is that the communities in these areas are in a “strong state of denial” about the problem. This fact does not surprise me as I see this constantly in the families of the patients that I work with. I know that identifying and effectively dealing with adolescent substance abuse is a difficult and complex business. It is much easier and more comfortable to stay in denial and avoid the problem. Please don’t misunderstand. This is not intentional but rather the “over-use” of a natural defense mechanism. Denial is a normal, initial protective response to truths that we may not be equipped to deal with right off. It is a buffer of these truths. The problem is that denial does such a good job sometimes, that we continue to use it after its usefulness has ceased. The following are some guidelines to effectively dealing with the problem of adolescent/young adult substance abuse:

Although our children are unique in many ways, there are typical symptoms of drug abuse to be on the look out for. Some of them include: unexplained behavior and attitude changes, mood swings, change in sleep habits, change in appetite (loss, gain, binge eating), nodding, or sleepiness at inappropriate times, unexplained scratching or itching especially about the face, bloodshot or glassy eyes or small or dilated pupils, withdrawal from family activities, lying, trouble in school (behavior and/or performance), withdrawal from hobbies and interests, losing money/possessions, and arrest are some of the most common. There are many publications available with a more detailed and extensive list in the library and on the Internet. What is important is that you trust your instincts and err on the side of caution. It is better to be a bit over-zealous because if you’re wrong the worst that will happen usually is that you will be accused of being a nag or irritating. If you are right, you may help to save your loved one’s life and the earlier the intervention the better.

The first thing you need to do in order to effectively apply this approach is to have some idea what you are dealing with. If your loved one is chemically dependent, even in the early stages, they are being driven by a very powerful force. They are in the grips of a progressive and potentially fatal illness. Addiction has strong emotional, social and physical reinforcement. This person is in a very compulsive state of being and has been “hi-jacked” by the overwhelming euphoria and sense of well being that their chemical use is providing. It has become what makes life good for them. No amount of words will make them give it up that easily. Understand that you may be dealing with a progressing set of symptoms that looks, talks and acts like your loved one. Words and other “untough” barriers that we may impose in the form of restrictions and punishments are nothing more than miner inconveniences and challenges for their manipulation skills to get even better. The addict will not stop until they hit some “brick walls”. They must feel the intense pain of the lifestyle they are choosing in order to begin to consider stopping. You must not get in the way of this pain and even, at times expedite it, but you also must let them know that you love them. This balance between being tough and being loving makes sense if you truly understand the nature of addiction. As I said earlier, your loved one is “hi-jacked” or “possessed” if you will. The “tough” is how you must treat the addiction and the “love” is for the real person, your child. Once again there are many publications that are available on this subject including the book titled “Tough Love: How Parents Can Deal With Drug Abuse” by Pauline Neff.

As previously stated, addiction to chemicals, even in early stages, can be a cunning, baffling and powerful problem to deal with, especially for someone who has little or no experience with it. Typically there is not just one, but, many contributing factors that combine which is what makes the problem complex and difficult to treat effectively. Some of these factors are universal or typical such as genetics, seeking peer acceptance or low self esteem, while others are more individual such as grief and loss issues, family issues or possibly an attempt to self-medicate another problem like depression. With this in mind, it is not too difficult to see how families, clergy or even other health professional’s attempts to intervene can many times be lacking key pieces of the “puzzle” which leads to misdiagnosing and/or mistreating the problem. Professional chemical dependency counselors are trained to assess and identify the most subtle and hidden to the more obvious factors involved in someone’s addiction and develop a comprehensive treatment plan accordingly. The earlier you seek professional help the better. Treatment of addiction works but may not always work the way, or in the time frame we want it to so patience is essential.

Chemical dependency is known as a family illness for good reason. The addicted person’s behaviors affect the whole family. In some of our efforts to deal with these behaviors, we probably have developed many unhealthy coping skills. Some examples are: giving the addicted person money, paying their bills, rescuing them from trouble or, at the other end of the spectrum, resenting them, emotionally withdrawing from them or disowning them. Seeking your own recovery within outside support groups will not only help you to heal and find some sense of balance, but will also help you understand and interact with the addicted person more effectively thus increasing their chances for successful recovery. Here are some community support groups that are available for loved ones of addicted people:

The late actor Carroll O’Connor, whose son committed suicide related to his battle with addiction stated; “Do anything you can to get between your child and drugs”. I can certainly feel and understand the desperation in his statement. Although anything is better than nothing, I might add to that statement to seek help so that you can be reasonably certain that you are doing things that have a chance of being effective. I have seen too many addicted people and their loved ones “spin their wheels” and waste precious time on things and approaches that chemical dependency professionals would be able to easily recognize as ineffective.

I hope that this information will help you face and deal effectively with the serious issue of chemical dependency if you are faced with it.

For more information seek the nearest chemical dependence treatment center in your area or call Tools For Life Aurora at (630) 906-1200 or Naperville (630) 499-6300.