I feel that it is necessary for me to provide you with my background and experiences in this subject. Having grown up in the 70’s, drug use was common among most teens. I was no exception. I first smoked Marijuana when I was 13 years of age. This drug in the recovery field is most commonly referred to as the gateway drug. You will become familiar with this term throughout the series and understand how this label came to be.
At the age of 18, I tried Methamphetamine (aka Crystal Meth) for the first time. Meth was not produced in the haphazard manner that you see on TV in this day and age. It was high purity Meth, but was by no means safe. It is a highly addictive drug and will cause organ failure, mental disorders, and bone detioration if used in excess. For persons prone to heart conditions, it can cause failure of the heart the first time it is used. Unfortunately, the people with weak hearts, in most cases, are not aware that they have a heart condition until it is too late. I used Meth off and on for approximately 2 months. I realized that I was beginning to like this drug more than I should and swore off of it for many years. I suppose later in life, I forgot how much I did like the drug, and ended up using it for 8 months daily. It has left me with less mental capacity than I once had. Many people blame it on getting older, but in my mind, I know it was this abuse that affected my ability to remember the things I once did. I had the mental capacity to have over 500 phone numbers memorized, could recall conversations verbatim 3 months prior, etc. Needless to say, I no longer have these abilities.
I then tried Cocaine for the first time at 19. I didn’t give much thought to it at the time, as this was an expensive drug, and I knew I couldn’t afford to use it. When I was about 30 years of age, I was faced with the opportunity to do as much Cocaine as I wanted for free. Not a good combination for someone who had just gone through some devastating times in life. I spent about 3 months doing Cocaine day and night. Somehow, I was still able to perform at work, but lost all concept of time. I was sometimes up for 3 – 4 days without realizing it. When the source ran dry, I quit, but did not stop wanting it for 2 years following this period.
I believe what saved me from trying Heroine was my fear of needles. All drugs previously did not require them, and smoking, or inhaling them were viable alternatives for me.
I tried ecstacy a few times in life, and realized the after effects were not worth the high. The depression of coming down from the drug was tremendous.
I have been around people that used needles and have watched the process of sterilization of the drug and needle.
All this said, I am familiar with use of drugs, the habits exhibited, the tools needed to use them and the after affects. I have also dealt with a teenage child that started using drugs, and the process of their recovery. This article is not designed to inform you of what you should do, but to tell of my experiences from the parental perspective of helping the teenager through his recovery. You will come to understand that you are not alone. During his program, I realized that there are other parents out there that are dealing with the same issues, and there are groups that you can attend to tell your story as well as listen to others. I was never one for telling people how I feel, but after attending these support groups I found I felt better after having shared, and listened.
I hope what I discuss here will help you, as others have helped me. I don’t feel an obligation to pass on the help others have provided to me. After seeing these people give so readily of themselves, sharing their vulnerable side, I realized that this is a wonderful thing to pass on to the world and maybe I will be a better person for it.
Just a note to all who read this. My daughter commited suicide at the age of 31 on June 6, 2010. She had a history of depression, Bipolar disorder, and drug use. Maybe I will say something in this article that will help someone out there. If I only save one life, then it is all worth it.
Author
Mike Hara
