Get Prescription Drugs Off The Street

HELP!  My 17 year old daughter is addicted to Prescription Drugs.  I have been banging on doors and screaming from the rooftops to get her help but I am being turned away and having doors closed in my face.

My nightmare began when my daughter was in Grade 7.  She was dating an older boy in Grade 9 who introduced her to prescription drugs like Dexedrine, Oxycontin and Clonazepam.  As time progressed she started to take her own prescription for ADHD medication to school to sell in order to buy the drugs she really wanted.  Her life began to spiral down quickly.  Due to her drug use my daughter missed half of Grade 8 with zeros for marks across the board yet the school system pushed her through to Grade 9.  She missed half of Grade 9 with equally horrible marks and yet the school system pushed her through to high school.  I was in to the school more times than I can count and on the phone daily to speak to her Guidance Counselor asking for help but all the school wanted was to be rid of my daughter and her problems.  She is no longer in school.  She dropped out essentially in Grade 8.

Three times in the last year my daughter has tried to commit suicide by overdosing on prescription pills.  She has Oppositional Defiance Disorder, ADHD, and Compulsive Disorder.  She has been cutting and using drugs to numb her pain.  She thinks the drugs help her and are her only true friend but they are slowly killing her.

Since 2009 my daughter has been questioned at least 22 times but only charged 3 times for drugs.  She was caught in January of this year with 7 cell phones, some sort of hallucinogen, hash oil and marijuana and several prescription pill bottles in her backpack.  She was charged with 3 counts of Possession and 1 count of Trafficking yet when she was released the RCMP had to give her prescriptions back to her because they were all in her name.  Why would a 17 year old even have multiple prescriptions in her bag in her name?  Because she is doctor shopping all up and down the Valley, that’s why!  After this arrest she was released to her 49 year old drug dealing “friend” who claims to “love her”.  I only found out by accident she was arrested when I called the Crown Attorney on her case to ask about her charges;  I was then asked “the Theft charge or the Drug charges?”!  I am her Primary Parent yet I was not notified that my underage daughter was even arrested!  I have been to every one of her court appearances with only one exception and at her second last appearance on April 4th of this year I asked to address the court to beg the judge to put her in rehab but was kicked out of the courtroom instead!

She travels across the country with her 49 year old drug dealer as his mule but does not see this as a problem.  She even took the drug charges for him!  She has been stealing from her friends houses for years and has even broke in to her father’s house to steal in order to pay off a drug debt.  She has been allowed to do Restorative Justice for stealing from her father for a charge of Theft over $5000.00.   She does not need Restorative Justice she needs to be in jail so at least she can get access to the programs offered to criminals to help with her addiction.  Unfortunately her father does not see this problem the same way I do.  He thinks she is just being a typical teen and tells me to leave her alone.  For her part she thinks there is nothing wrong and even if there were it is her life and I should just let her live it the way she wants.  She desperately needs help but no one is listening to me.

I have been to Choices program at the IWK, the police, the RCMP, the school, Social Services and the Crown all to no avail.  Choices sent a counsellor to my home but my daughter just screamed at them to leave and refused help… so they left.  NO ONE IS LISTENING TO ME!!!!!!!  Help in Nova Scotia is “voluntary” which means she has to agree to participate but since she does not see her behavior as a problem this system won’t work.   As parents we need to have rights in place to be able to get help for our children.  We know what is best for them even when they are too sick and defiant to see it themselves.

I have even staged a one woman protest outside of Family Court for 6 hours until someone took pity on me and agreed to take my information and listen to my story.  We arranged a Court ordered “Locate and Detain” on November 24, 2011.  I finally felt like something was going to be done to help her.  I had everything arranged with the Sackville Department of Community Services for when they found my daughter.  The Court ordered stated the police were to take her to the Sackville location where a bed in a detox facility was waiting.  When they finally located my daughter several days later on Spring Garden Road (she had been living in the Occupy Movement and claimed to be homeless) at 12:30 in the morning the police were forced to take her to the Dartmouth Department of Community Services for After Hours service (apparently the Sackville location was closed at that hour of the morning and they did not have anyone on call).  The Social Worker “On Call” in Dartmouth was not impressed to be woken up and told the police she did not have the manpower or resources to handle the situation and told the police to take her home or to her father’s or the Ray Allen Centre where she would be free to walk out as soon as she was released from police custody.  The police officer even begged on my behalf but still the Department of Community Services refused to help.  I did everything right!  I went to the appropriate authorities, made all the arrangements and still the system failed me.  The only thing it did was get me a visit 58 days later from a social worker wanting to check on my three year old daughter to make sure she was not being harmed by her sister’s drug use!  I was furious, I wanted help for my then 15 year old addicted daughter who is slowly dying in front of me and their only concern was my 3 year old who I made sure was safe!

The system in Nova Scotia is killing my daughter.  I am watching her die a little more every single day and I am powerless to stop her.  I want a judge to order her in to a long-term treatment facility or jail not to have her father write an essay for her on why she needs to apologize for robbing him!  She went back to Court on May 2 at 9:30 am to face the Theft over $5000.00 Charge and again at 1:30 pm to face the Drug charges.  I was there fighting for get her help she so desperately needs.  Instead all charges were dropped due to a deal made with Prosecution that the Crown Attorney was not at liberty to discuss with me, her mother and legal guardian.  I was told it was between the Crown, my daughter and her lawyer.  I once again left the court in tears feeling helpless.  How do I help my daughter now?

My greatest fear is that I am going to be one of the other mothers on this site who come forward to tell the stories of how their children have died from Prescription Drugs.  Can someone please help me save my daughter’s life?  I am begging!

Signed,

A desperate mom

If you think you can help this mom please contact me at  amygraves@mail.com and I will be able to connect you.