Parents, could you ever imagine your sweet, smart and popular child coming home after their freshman year of college to addiction?
My husband and I could never imagine it and that was a part of the problem. I had always been so conditioned that our son was above that sort of behavior. First of all, he was just too smart to ever get involved in drugs and second of all, he and I always had an honest relationship, my son told me everything; or so I thought.
When he came home that summer, we knew something was terribly off. Our articulate and funny son was now moody, sleepy and becoming an entirely different person. He managed to work and pick up a summer school course at the local community college, which eased my mind, somewhat. My naiveté and denial lead me to think, what kid doing drugs could get up early for work and take a college course?
Although I did drug test my son countless times, even once at a clinic, they all came back negative except for pot. (Pot, if you do your research, is a gateway drug, and it’s not okay. Don’t turn your head!) I also took him to see a psychiatrist in case he had depression or a problem that mom could not fix. The diagnosis was that he was a typical 19-year- old just trying to find himself. “Don’t worry mom.”
After finding him overdosed on opioids in his bedroom one afternoon, the truth came out.
I would like for parents to realize it can happen to your child in a flash, the child your so proud of, your baby.
The good news is that there are legitimate, professional programs available and I thank God everyday that my son accepted it. I also thank God everyday that our son is still alive; this could have been a horrific tragedy.
It breaks my heart this has happened to our family and some days I still can’t shake the “what ifs”.
It has been almost 2 years and we are grateful for everyday our son is clean and sober. He is once again our child that we are so very proud of and we are all excited about what his future holds.
Experience, strength and hope.
– Leslie K., New Life House Mother
Last Updated on May 24, 2022
