"When are they going to get it?"
"I wonder if they are ever going to really change? "
"I have tried pleading, begging, getting angry, being extra polite and tried making deals with them."
"If they would just listen to me, follow my plan and do what I ask them to, things would be better off for everyone."
"Why can’t they just think logically?"
"They are so-o-o-o-o-o-o frustrating. I guess it’s ‘cause they are just parents. They don’t get it."
"What is a kid supposed to do?"
You CANNOT want your teen’s recovery more than they want it. If you do; you give your teen the power back.
You cannot do their recovery program for them, as much as you wish you could.
Remember - Recovery is not a cure. Recovery is a lifelong process. It begins in treatment, but it doesn't end when treatment ends. How far your teen goes in their recovery is really up to them. It is a choice to change their lifestyle.
To put it another way recovery is like dieting. Dieting helps you take off weight. But diets come to an end. Once you reach your goal weight it is now up to you to keep the additional weight off. If you do not change your lifestyle you will be on your next diet in short order. No one can want it more than you do and no one can do it for you.
Initial recovery can take years. It can be a very difficult process for both your child and for you to handle on your own. Your child is an addict and a master manipulator. You as a parent will have your doubts and your weak moments and, on occasion, your son or daughter may play on them. They use guilt and other manipulative tactics to persuade parents and other family members to continue enabling them in their behaviors.
Falling back into this trap will inevitably lead to frustration, worry, anger, sleepless nights, and all manner of toxic behaviors in attempting to deal with addiction/co-dependency problems.
If you feel you are falling back into co-dependent behavior try the following:
You don’t need to give instant answers – it is okay to tell your son or daughter that you need to think about it or to discuss it further. Impulsive responses now may lead to regrets later.
Go to meetings – try PSST or your local chapter of Families Anonymous, Nar-Anon, Al-Anon or Alateen.
Join a home group – find a meeting you feel comfortable with and attend on a regular basis.
Find a sponsor – find someone at the meeting that you feel at ease with and exchange phone numbers – agree to call each other as needed in a crisis or just to talk.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – talk to your spouse, partner, minister or a co-worker or friend that you can trust.
Get counseling / therapy as required – get professional help (note that if a counselor makes you feel uncomfortable - try another one – one size does not fit all)
Get active (in the program) – helping others in recovery will help you.
"One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so it will be worth remembering."
WHEN WILL THEY GET IT?
Posted by:Rocco--Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Lindy Lou- A PSST Mom, Finds An Interesting Anti-Drug Video
Posted by:Sally--Saturday, January 29, 2011
Read More......
Chemicals in 'Bath Salts Have Harmful Effects'
Posted by:Rocco--Thursday, January 27, 2011
MORE ON 'BATH SALTS'
"From the Deep South to California, emergency calls are being reported over exposure to the stimulants the powders often contain: mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV.
Sold under such names as Ivory Wave, Bliss, 
White Lightning and Hurricane Charlie, the chemicals can cause hallucinations, paranoia, rapid heart rates and suicidal thoughts, authorities say. The chemicals are in products sold legally at convenience stores and on the Internet as bath salts and even plant foods. However, they aren't necessarily being used for the purposes on the label...
...Dr. Mark Ryan, director of Louisiana's poison control center, said cathinone, the parent substance of the drugs, comes from a plant grown in Africa and is regulated. He said MDPV and mephedrone are made in a lab, and they aren't regulated because they're not marketed for human consumption. The stimulants affect neurotransmitters in the brain, he said."
Copyright ©1997 - 2011 PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Here is a link to the article in the PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE concerning the 'Bath Salts' already being carried (or about to be carried) by smoke shops and convenience stores near you! Sent in by an attentive PSST Mom.
Chemicals in Salts Have Harmful Effects - January 24, 2011 - By Shelia Byrd, The Associated Press
Thanks for the alert.
Alert received from Dauphin County re: "Bath Salt."
Posted by:Lloyd Woodward--Thursday, January 27, 2011
 |
More snorting 'bath salts' -click on picture for story. |
----- Original Message -----
From: Carlino, Russell
To: [Juvenile Court Managers]
Sent: Thu Jan 27 17:00:12 2011
Subject: FW: Posing as 'bath salts,' synthetic cocaine sold at local stores
FYI
-----Original Message-----
From: [Daulpin County Juvenile Probation]
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 2:51 PM
To: [Juvenile Court Directors across Pennsylvania]
Subject: FW: Posing as 'bath salts,' synthetic cocaine sold at local stores
Members,
As each of you are aware in December 2010 the federal government took the necessary and required action to ban synthetic cannabinoids. Since the inception of this band Dauphin County (Probation and law enforcement agencies) have seized and confiscated a considerable amount of “Spice and K2”.
If you recall from some of the previous bulletins that I sent out on synthetic cannabinoids I also mentioned a form of synthetic cocaine (scientific name, Mephedrone) that was on the rise. Unfortunately, we have seen a significant increase of juveniles and young adults abusing a product called “Bath Salt”, a marketing form of synthetic cocaine. It has been identified in our schools and is commonly seen in our local gas stations and “mom and pop” convenient stores (click on the link below). This was a concern of mine when the banned was placed on the cannabinoids. Be aware of this product in your respective county. Thanks and be safe.
Subject: Posing as 'bath salts,' synthetic cocaine sold at local stores
Posing as 'bath salts,' synthetic cocaine sold at local stores
http://mlnurl.com/a5J8
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PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS
Posted by:Rocco--Thursday, January 27, 2011
People, Places and Things
Our teens in recovery are told to stay away from any people, places and things that will remind them of using.
- Party pals, friends they used with (even if they have been clean for a month), or friends that supplied them.
- Parks, parking lots, schools, convenience stores, certain streets or corners, alleys or other places that they associate with copping, picking up or using.
- Clips, pipes, tubes, socket wrenches, bongs, spoons, stems, vials, lighters, cocktail glasses...
There's an AA saying: "If you hang out in the barbershop, eventually you'll get a haircut."
Staying away from “friends” is one of the biggest arguments we get from our teenagers in recovery. Until they can give up their people, places and things they are not serious about their recovery. When you confront them about their contact with them they will tell you:
“How do you expect me to give up my friends?”
“They are the only ones that I can talk to.”
“They are the only ones that understand me and won’t judge me?”
“I’m the one that got them to use.”
“Who are you to judge my friends?”
We had this discussion at our Family-Anonymous meeting on Tuesday night. Some wondered how long it would take, if ever, for our kids to “get it”.
Miss Deb summed it up in a way that hit home with a few of us. She reminded us that our children not only can do this but that they have already done this once. This is something she said she reminds the kids of in their sessions.
When our children made the choice to start using tobacco/drugs/alcohol they made the choice to leave behind their friends, the places they hung out and the things that they used together.
They left the people; these were friends that they probably had for most of their young lives.
They left the places; the gyms, the athletic fields, churches, auditoriums, dance and martial arts studios, skating rinks and scout meetings.
They left the things: balls, bats, karate uniforms, shin guards, dance outfits, skates, scout uniforms, musical instruments and their dreams.
They had no trouble leaving any of these people, places or things.
They didn’t have their parent’s help.
They didn’t have counselors to guide them.
They didn’t have meetings to explain the steps to change their lifestyle. They didn’t have booklets and websites telling them where and when their “meetings” to buy and to use were held.
They had no problem reaching out and finding people to help them and advise them on their lifestyle choice.
They didn’t have sponsors to reach out to and talk with when they felt an urge to return to their old ways and to stop using.
They didn’t have transportation issues; they could find their way to “meetings”, even in the middle of the night, to buy and to use.
They didn’t have trouble figuring out methods of financing their habits; they cheated, manipulated, coerced, lied, begged, borrowed and stole with the worst of them.
All on their own, without anyone’s assistance, they were able to give up on all of their people, places and things so that they could slip into the world of substance abuse.
So the next time your son or daughter in recovery tells you how hard it is to give up their “friends” feel free to remind them that they already know how to, they already have the experience and that now they have all the resources in place to help them.
RECOVERY IS NOT FOR WIMPS
Recovery is not a cure. Recovery is a lifelong process. It begins in treatment, but it doesn't end when treatment ends. How far your teen goes in their recovery is really up to them.
Recovery is a family process. Like their adolescent, families damaged by addiction can take a couple of years to recover. They will need to change their behavior and rebuild their lifestyle as they go through the recovery process with their child.
It can seem like a very long process but a real commitment to the recovery process can strengthen your family’s well being. The discipline of recovery can bring significant benefit that will help all family members.
Recovery is tough to handle alone. Like any other life threatening disease addiction recovery is somewhere between difficult to impossible to handle on your own. Addiction and recovery can be so consuming that families sometimes lose track of their other needs. Relationships are strained, hopelessness sets in and families can be pulled apart. Because addiction and recovery affects the whole family, it is absolutely necessary to look for professional help and counseling for the whole family.
Look for specialized groups for parents and siblings of the recovering teen in your area. These groups may be offered through your school or church, a family service agency or through your local chapter of Families Anonymous, Nar-Anon, Al-Anon or Alateen.
Parent Survival Skills Training (PSST) is here for all parents, and care-takers, to get the help they need to assist their teens in their recovery. We are made up of parents of teenage substance abusers and addicts who have been, or are going through, what you are going through. We have the assistance of professional counselors and probation officials. We are not here to judge you; we are here to help you.
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