Thoughts on Addiction

Addiction is pretty ugly. Untrained, but with the experiences of parenthood, I know enough only to write about about our family's journey. In this blog you will find some backgroud, some hopes, and between the lines, many fears!

Early on, maybe a dozen years ago, we tackled the task of trying to separate teenage angst from from destructive behavior. Outcome? Pretty darned good thanks to Hillary's village: Kevin's strength, extended family support, Rosecrance, and a host of loving supporters.

The lessons learned by one are not sufficient to infuse the next child with immunity. About twelve months ago the reality of drugs lit up our lives again. Senior year should have been a better time for Sarah but she had already surrendered control of her life.

Recovery, Part II, brought the family to an intense out-patient program at Fairbanks in Indiana. Peter and Pat Lawford's son wrote about Fairbanks in his auto-bio. He is still alive.

Sarah got second semester underway at school. She worked on recovery and pushing pizza but that darned old sneaky addiction followed her, perhaps as a chosen companion to make up for the many old friends littering the hallways at CHS. Long semester. Lots of tests, some of which were at school, the rest on the outside. Addiction is so clever! Sarah managed to graduate, completing the Core 40 program with academic honors. She worked, played recreational soccer, and was accepted to 3 of 4 colleges choices in Indiana. Her secret companion accompanied her down the aisle at graduation from "high" school.

I guess you could say she graduated from high school and went directly into full-time addiction. Having sampled many flavors of addiction she settled into the big H, not the first initial of her last name but the Capital H of her lover and her curse. Darn it!

Recovery, the sequel, started recently with detox in the adult unit at Fairbanks. This stubborn old man argued with staff over the placement in the adolescent vs. the adult unit. I was right. (Thanks for the advice Karen) She spent about 10 days in the Adult Unit, not in the story-telling, bragging, and lies in kinder care!

The BF is in jail until he gets bailed tomorrow. Sarah's off to a dude Ranch in Tennessee -- You can learn more at http://www.recoveryranch.com/ . It was hard to say good-bye. Sarah, drugged for recovery, is cooperating and we hope she's doing more than just passing time until BF gets through his jail and short-term recovery.

The Ranch is extreme recovery for at least 28 days, maybe as long as 90. For now it is the only hope to preserve her life in an all too real battle against heroin addiction.

That's the brief history.

The reality is that heroin is deadly. Her risk of OD'ing right after recovery is also high. At this point, OD = death.

Remember addiction, especially this severe in a young adult who may have been abusing various substances for 1/3rd of her life, leads to sub-optimal choices. The H-addict neither thinks rationally nor processes decisions as life and death. Just the next high! We're worried and anxious.

So yes, this is Extreme Recovery. I believe in God and in the power of prayer no matter who prays nor how you pray. It's down to that. Pray for His mercy and her life. Aloysius, get with it. We need your experienced intercession.