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About Jacqui
Expertise
I am committed to Harm reduction (is it a dirty word in America??), a philosophy which acknowledges that people are going to continue to use drugs despite all of the effort put into stopping it (case in point - US government drug war ... trillions of dollars, people still using ... hello??) Anyway, I advocate to support people who use drugs by reducing the harms associated with their use through needle and syringe programs, advocating for drug law reform (alcohol legal, marijuana not ... go figure?). I currently manage a service that provides primary health care, health education and needle and syringe program to people who inject. I have also worked as an "on the ground" worker for many years and am currently studying a Masters in Clinical Psychology. Happy to answer questions about blood borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C, questions about dependency on opiates and other substances. Questions about treatment (particulary methadone and buprenorphine). Questions about harm reduction and why we bother with it. I can try to answer questions about drug tests. As an alternative to my fellow experts, I won't be judging anyone. If anyone has taken a sip of a coffee, or drunk a beer, then ... well we are all drug users, and I don't think we are going to see an end to it! Deal with the real, I say.

Experience
Manage a primary health service for people who inject drugs, and have worked at that centre for 7 years

Organizations
Registered as a provisional psychologist with the Victorian Psychologists registration board (this is for psychologists working under supervision or currently studying a masters). Much of my experience is related to my work rather than to my studies

Publications
conference proceedings - IHRC 2004 & 2005, NSP Conference 2005, Stigma-Pleasure-Practice conference 2006

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Arts (Humanities), Bachelor of Psychology with Honours, currently studying a masters of clinical psychology, completed one half of a graduate certificate in Addiction studies (transferred to psychology as it had better career prospects) - lots and lots of short training courses.

Awards and Honors
Presented at international conferences (Harm Reduction Conference in Thailand and Melbourne)

You are here: Experts > Teens > Health for Teens > Addiction to Drugs > 19 yrs son & Oxycotin

Addiction to Drugs - 19 yrs son & Oxycotin

Expert: Jacqui - 11/3/2009

Question
My son is 19 and I recently found out that he is snorting Oxycotin. He started doing drugs at age 16 and has gotten off them with the help of family and would stay clean for 5 months at a time, each time, going back to something stronger. He has been given a wonderful life and I can't understand the draw he has to pills, which is his drug of choice. I am terrified of overdose for him, and I have heard that "shooting up" would probably be the next step for him because drug addicts are looking for the next best high. He doesn't want my help or anyone elses for that matter. I still have to little girls to raise and I catch alot of flack for turning my back on my son...is there anything else I can do? What are the effects of xy use? Thank you for anything you can tell me.

Answer
Hi Kimberly,

Drug use is very complex. To put it in perspective, human beings have taken mind altering substances for thousands of years, and across all cultures. This doesn't mean that there aren't probelms that can be associated, and in particular, because our society says that some drugs are legal and some not, incarceration and other problems can be pretty serious.

Lots of people from good families take drugs. To put this in perspective, about a third of americans admit to having used an illegal drug (including your president). Although this doesn't minimise the problems, it can help parents who think that they have done something terribly wrong!

People who use illegal drugs are really stigmatised in society, so often don't want to talk about their drug use. They often keep things from their family, and then this is construed as 'lying' or being secretive. It is totally up to you whether you decide to support your son, but keep in mind that just because he is using oxycontin, he isn't a bad person. Unfortuantely drug dependency can cause problems for families, and really the only person who can make treatment work is the person themself. Forced treatment rarely has good long term outcomes. The person has to want to stop themselves.

I don't know enough about your personal situation, but I have seen some terrible effects of people being rejected by their families. If someone is using drugs, then their family disowns them, they are going to feel worse about themselves and probably use more drugs to kill the pain. Tough love isn't the greatest option. However, there are some thing that you shouldn't have to tolerate, and that would be things like money being taken, or someone exposing your young children to drugs.

I always encourage people to speak to each other, and if there is a problem, talk about what that is. As opposed to saying that the drug use is the problem, (people oxy for pain, if he was prescribed it, would you be okay with it), you may want to talk about any negative behaviour (as mentioned above). YOu might also want to say that you are worried about him and concerned for his safely. The main risk with oxycontin is overdose if he uses too much, so it is important he is aware of this. Using opiates with alcohol or sleeping tables (benzos) can cause overdose. I don't think that he will necessarily start injecting (some people never do), but if he does, he needs to be careful of the risks associated with that.

Kimberly, all you can do is be supportive, but your son is an adult, and he needs to make his own decisions. If he is living in your home, you have a right to set some rules (i.e.: don't use at home), but cutting him off is unlikely to make him want to stop. I can't really offer much more, but I do suggest you get yourself some support. Do you have a social worker, church minister or other support? It is important that you have someone to talk to, as it can be a really stressful situation. There are sometimes organisations for peer support where you can link up with other family members who have had the same experiences, and people often find this helpful.

Let me know if there is anything else I can suggest.

Take care and stay safe,

Jacqui

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