Teen asks for help with his drug and alcohol addiction

Dear Jack,

I read one of your blogs about a father’s addictions and how it affected the family.  I know this first hand because I also come from a family with someone with addiction problems and it’s me! 

I like to party and that usually means drinking and doing other illegal stuff.  I didn’t think it was a problem until last weekend.  I was driving my little brother home from a late night baseball game after drinking a little and smoking some weed.  I thought I was fine, but as I rounded a curve near our house, I lost control and went into the ditch.  Luckily, no one was hurt and some neighbors helped pull the car out. 

No police came, but one of the neighbors talked to my mom about my behavior and they were pretty upset.  I was really ticked off that they said anything, but I know I was lucky.  I don’t know what I would have done had I hurt my brother. He looks up to me and I want to change and be the person he thinks I am. 

Please help.

Jason

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Dear Jason,

Thank you for being so honest.  I know it’s not easy to admit when we have a serious problem.  Using alcohol and drugs can become addicting.  Addictions are like dominos – they affect everybody and can create problems in your body, mind, and feelings.  When people abuse drugs and alcohol they can have a different personality.  This can confuse people around them.  They don’t take responsibility for their actions and blame others. 

Drugs can make it harder for you to feel your feelings, be close to people you care about, and make good decisions.  They can also make people violent.  In your case, you drove drunk and put yourself and your brother in danger. 

What is great about you is you realize you have a problem.  You are not in denial about the ways your drinking and using are affecting you and your family.  You are not pretending that nothing has happened and that you don’t have a problem.  It’s important to get help.  It can be very hard to change old patterns and to stop using when it has become a way of life. 

You can call Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or a local treatment program to get help.  It’s also important to let your family know you want to change, but know it will take time for these problems to work out.  They may want to attend Al Anon for family members to understand what you are going through so you don’t feel alone.  Thank you again for being brave enough to talk openly and honestly about being stuck in a bad situation. If you want to talk to my mom, Toni, you can always call the center.  She’s real easy to talk to and will understand how hard this can be for you.

Jack