Pubdate: Wed, 23 Apr 2008
Source: Okotoks Western Wheel (CN AB)
Copyright: 2008, Okotoks Western Wheel
Contact:  http://www.westernwheel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1638
Author: Darlene Casten
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)

METH ADDICTION BREAKS PARENTS' HEARTS

When an Okotoks couple found out their youngest  daughter was hooked 
on crystal meth their world fell  apart.

She was in her early 20s, working, living on her own  and going to 
school part-time when a friend suggested  she try something to keep 
her awake. She had no idea  what she was taking was the highly 
addictive and highly  toxic drug crystal meth.

It took more than a year of being hooked on the drug  before her 
family found out what seemed like only an  exaggeration in the 
woman's usual bubbly personality,  was actually a potentially lethal 
addiction. It took  her committing a crime before the truth was found 
out.  After stealing from her employer to feed the addiction,  the 
girl was arrested by RCMP and facing a lengthy  court ordeal, she 
finally turned to her parents.

"We closed the door and we closed the blinds because we  had to deal 
with it inwardly because our hearts were so  hurt," the woman's 
father said. "Panic, fear, anger,  helplessness - all the emotions 
began to surface. It  was a major tailspin."

Watching their daughter walk back out the door and into  a world of 
uncertainty was crushing, he added.

"We didn't know if she was going to be alive or dead,"  he said. "She 
fell below 100 pounds. We had to resolve  in our hearts that we could 
get a phone call telling us  our daughter is dead and try to be 
strong enough to  deal with that."

Prayer and time gave the couple the strength they  needed to move on 
from their grief and turn their  attention to their ailing daughter.

As they began to look for help, they soon realized that  the only one 
who could help them was the same girl  struggling with a serious drug 
addiction.

"We tried - we even looked at the possibility of  getting her put 
away somewhere and realized there was  no way," he said. "They have 
to get to the point of  wanting to help themselves."

It was when they realized that they could not force  their daughter 
into rehab that they changed their  tactic.

"You have to be able to love from a distance," he said.  "A lot of 
these kids and young adults need  unconditional love and sometimes it 
is hard to give. We  would just go and visit her and buy her 
groceries and  take her out for dinner and stay the weekend with her."

The loving attention finally got through. Even drug  addicted friends 
were questioning why she was using  drugs when her family cared for 
her so much.

After another year of using Crystal Meth she moved home  and sought 
help from psychiatrists who specialize in  drug addictions and is 
even looking into ways of  sharing her experiences with others in an 
effort to  stop others from making the same mistakes.

With a clean and sober daughter back at his side, the  girl's father 
said he thanks God that his family made  it through one of the 
darkest periods of their lives.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom