Teen hospitalized for drug use last night

[Anonymous]

There is hope. I was single mom and needed help paying even with great insurance. Treatment is pricy. Many of the big centers have programs to pay or help pay the part not covered by insurance. There are also nonprofits that offer help and your company's EAP may be able to help. When you call the treatment center after you pick the place talk to the financial Dept. Be honest about the situation. Ask if they know of places to get help from if they don't offer it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you should probably call your child's guidance counselor at school so they are aware of what's going on. If your child has to have an extended absence, they will coordinate that and make sure they can get the work/make it up later. They can also make sure teachers know as necessary. Possibly they can link you up with some counseling or other resources as well.

I'd be wary of sharing details with the school.

Well how else do you plan to have the student keep up with their schoolwork? You don't think at a minimum the guidance counselor needs to be aware that one of her students is facing a serious issue like this that may require additional support?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you should probably call your child's guidance counselor at school so they are aware of what's going on. If your child has to have an extended absence, they will coordinate that and make sure they can get the work/make it up later. They can also make sure teachers know as necessary. Possibly they can link you up with some counseling or other resources as well.

I'd be wary of sharing details with the school.

Well how else do you plan to have the student keep up with their schoolwork? You don't think at a minimum the guidance counselor needs to be aware that one of her students is facing a serious issue like this that may require additional support?

I think PP was concerned about stigma and judgement at the school. I would share the hospitalization as a medical issue.

[Anonymous]

Or did OD occur at a school event?

[Anonymous]

Oh I guarantee the kids in this kid's grade already know and may even tell the teacher. Keeping it in the bag is pretty unlikely which is why the guidance counselor needs to be looped in to keep an eye on this stuff and also to assist with makeup work and missing school.

[Anonymous]

Also, I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but along with getting my kid help I'm not sure I would actively try to cover this up. You know, there's consequences to this shit. You wanna play with drugs, maybe you can accept that it's going to cause your peers to gossip about you and possibly ostracize you. That's what happens when you're a druggie, decent people avoid you. I wouldn't be in such a hurry to soften that blow for my kid as it might do a lot towards making them reconsider their drug usage.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, most teachers and admin at school are clueless. At my kid's small elite HS all the kids know the druggies and student dealers, but the school either doesn't know or turns a blind eye.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly, most teachers and admin at school are clueless. At my kid's small elite HS all the kids know the druggies and student dealers, but the school either doesn't know or turns a blind eye.

What have you done to help those kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly, most teachers and admin at school are clueless. At my kid's small elite HS all the kids know the druggies and student dealers, but the school either doesn't know or turns a blind eye.

What have you done to help those kids?

With what evidence, rumors and heresay?

[Anonymous]

OP, the hospital should help you with an after care plan depending on what you want and your child's needs. MoCo has an office that works with substance abuse but not sure about DC. There are a variety of programs from residential to all day programs to outpatient a few times a week. It will vary depending on the environment and level of addiction. See if there is an office in DC gov't to help. I would think there is. There may be funding resources there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but along with getting my kid help I'm not sure I would actively try to cover this up. You know, there's consequences to this shit. You wanna play with drugs, maybe you can accept that it's going to cause your peers to gossip about you and possibly ostracize you. That's what happens when you're a druggie, decent people avoid you. I wouldn't be in such a hurry to soften that blow for my kid as it might do a lot towards making them reconsider their drug usage.

Druggies are decent people too, PP. Addiction is a disease. People need help--not stupid judgement. Did you realize that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in this country? We need mental health services, needle exchanges, access to OD prevention drugs, and lots of compassion:
http://www.npr.org/2016/02/18/464463631/when-a-loved-one-dies-of-overdose-what-happens-to-the-family

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure where to start. Anyone been here. Interested in parent support groups, in and out patient treatment. I'm v v strapped for cash, just getting back on my feet after a divorce a few years ago, but have good health insurance and maybe family could help but no one knows at this moment. First person experiences would be v helpful right now. Pretty sure I'm canceling school for next week, already called his job and told him he's out for the foreseeable future. What did you do first, second, third in this situation. In DC.

Find a treatment facility and get an assessment. I have first hand experience with Kolmac, and they're very good but they don't take teenagers. Still, you could call them and ask for referral.

What you should expect is that drug treatment will involve detox and medication-assisted therapy, which means monitored prescriptions to wean physical dependence, possibly in-patient or outpatient for several hours/day for 3-4 days. And then group and/or independent therapy for eight weeks or more. Inpatient facilities are the most abundant and they're outrageously expensive. What I know from others who've been in them, they're not greatly effective. Outpatient therapy that keeps the patient in their homes seems to be better, but it's still big time commitment and costly. At Kolmac, it's three hours a day for 24 days - five days/week, then four, then three, working down to two days/week. Total cost $800-900, with insurance and incremental payment options available.

You should also do a provider search with your insurance to see all the options available to you. Good luck, OP. It's not impossible to overcome but it's hard work and takes commitment from the whole family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but along with getting my kid help I'm not sure I would actively try to cover this up. You know, there's consequences to this shit. You wanna play with drugs, maybe you can accept that it's going to cause your peers to gossip about you and possibly ostracize you. That's what happens when you're a druggie, decent people avoid you. I wouldn't be in such a hurry to soften that blow for my kid as it might do a lot towards making them reconsider their drug usage.

Druggies are decent people too, PP. Addiction is a disease. People need help--not stupid judgement. Did you realize that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in this country? We need mental health services, needle exchanges, access to OD prevention drugs, and lots of compassion:
http://www.npr.org/2016/02/18/464463631/when-a-loved-one-dies-of-overdose-what-happens-to-the-family

Yeah yeah yeah that's all well and good but many of these people could have been straightened out well before becoming addicts with good parental intervention and maybe some solid natural consequences from peers. A teen who is experimenting with drugs isn't at the addict stage yet. Goal is not to cure an addict here, it's to prevent further use of drugs period because it's still stoppable at this age. Social rejection is a big influence at that age is all I'm saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but along with getting my kid help I'm not sure I would actively try to cover this up. You know, there's consequences to this shit. You wanna play with drugs, maybe you can accept that it's going to cause your peers to gossip about you and possibly ostracize you. That's what happens when you're a druggie, decent people avoid you. I wouldn't be in such a hurry to soften that blow for my kid as it might do a lot towards making them reconsider their drug usage.

Druggies are decent people too, PP. Addiction is a disease. People need help--not stupid judgement. Did you realize that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in this country? We need mental health services, needle exchanges, access to OD prevention drugs, and lots of compassion:
http://www.npr.org/2016/02/18/464463631/when-a-loved-one-dies-of-overdose-what-happens-to-the-family

Yeah yeah yeah that's all well and good but many of these people could have been straightened out well before becoming addicts with good parental intervention and maybe some solid natural consequences from peers. A teen who is experimenting with drugs isn't at the addict stage yet. Goal is not to cure an addict here, it's to prevent further use of drugs period because it's still stoppable at this age. Social rejection is a big influence at that age is all I'm saying.

Wow, you no nothing about drug abuse. I would not listen to this advice. Shaming kids does not work. Leave it to the professionals OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but along with getting my kid help I'm not sure I would actively try to cover this up. You know, there's consequences to this shit. You wanna play with drugs, maybe you can accept that it's going to cause your peers to gossip about you and possibly ostracize you. That's what happens when you're a druggie, decent people avoid you. I wouldn't be in such a hurry to soften that blow for my kid as it might do a lot towards making them reconsider their drug usage.

Druggies are decent people too, PP. Addiction is a disease. People need help--not stupid judgement. Did you realize that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in this country? We need mental health services, needle exchanges, access to OD prevention drugs, and lots of compassion:
http://www.npr.org/2016/02/18/464463631/when-a-loved-one-dies-of-overdose-what-happens-to-the-family

Yeah yeah yeah that's all well and good but many of these people could have been straightened out well before becoming addicts with good parental intervention and maybe some solid natural consequences from peers. A teen who is experimenting with drugs isn't at the addict stage yet. Goal is not to cure an addict here, it's to prevent further use of drugs period because it's still stoppable at this age. Social rejection is a big influence at that age is all I'm saying.

+1 I agree, and I don't think it is shaming when you answer the truth.
Why covering up. Learn to handle reality and always offer your help. But if feel parents should not alter reality to protect children.
How would they ever learn otherwise?