| I can not think of anything more terrifying than the | | | | meetings at night... time consuming meetings... fear... |
| moment a parent realizes that their teenager is using | | | | anxiety... and helplessness. I know the feelings of |
| drugs. It is a feeling that is indescribable and it can spiral | | | | alienation and shame that come with the idea that your |
| us into a wide array of fears and anger that are | | | | teenager is using drugs. Churches don't know what to |
| unmatched. | | | | do, social groups don't want to hear about it, and even |
| I know from 11 years experience of dealing with teens | | | | friends will go out of their way to eliminate you from |
| and their drug use that a parent will try almost anything | | | | the inner circle. |
| to help their teen deal with their drug use. It is a scary | | | | What I have seen take place is that those who are |
| moment and one that no one is really prepared for. I | | | | dealing with their teens drug addiction, all of sudden find |
| have had many parents tell me that they felt like the | | | | themselves with a group of parents and people who |
| moment they found out that they needed be an | | | | they would have never associated with, and begin to |
| expert in the subject. That they remember the first | | | | forge new relationships with people they would had |
| encounter they had with their teen and feeling like they | | | | never meet in any other circumstances. You have to |
| needed to have the words to say and the way to say | | | | understand something if you just found out your teen |
| them. That they were fishing in their mind for what to | | | | is using drugs. |
| do and how to handle this shock that their teen was | | | | You Are Not Alone. |
| using drugs. | | | | - You are going to struggle with emotions and set |
| I have watched parents walk through these times with | | | | backs... but you are not alone. |
| great ideas and application to the things they have | | | | - You are not going to know what to do... but you are |
| learned and I have watched parents wrong choices | | | | not alone |
| literally spiral their teen out of control. It is a fine balance | | | | - You are going to question everything... but you are |
| of being stern and loving all at the same time. You | | | | not alone |
| have to learn what battles to fight and which ones to | | | | - You are going to learn new ways to trust... .but you |
| let go. Remember you only focus on the things that will | | | | are not alone |
| move your teenager towards sobriety. | | | | - You are going to learn new parenting skills... but you |
| Some of the struggles I see with parents is knowing | | | | are not alone |
| how to hold their own teenager accountable and how | | | | - You are going to learn how to truly communicate |
| to bring in rules that help their teen get off of drugs | | | | with your teen... but you are not alone |
| instead of become better at hiding the drugs. As a | | | | There are thousands of parents and teenagers who |
| parent you need to come up with a game plan, learn | | | | have gone down this road and made it. I myself used |
| from others who have gone before you, and be willing | | | | drugs all throughout my teenage years leaving school |
| to take the hard road of helping your teenager kick the | | | | in 8th grade and living on the streets. Only to now hold |
| habit they are caught up in. | | | | a B.S. Degree... finishing my M.S. degree... great job and |
| I have a friend who's life was hell during the first year | | | | raising teenagers myself. There is hope and thousands |
| of discovering their teen was using drugs. The | | | | of people who have made it. Trust me when I say you |
| teenager went through relapses... there were weekly | | | | can make it! |