For Parents: Drug Names/Looking for Clues

I believe that educating parents is an important step in fighting this prescription drug epidemic.  With this in mind, this entry will focus on the drugs that are available to our youth and their street names so that you can be aware. I will also discuss ways that you can try to find out as early as possible if your child is using drugs. The earlier the intervention, the more successful the outcome.

Below is a list of drugs available on PEI that I know of, but there are likely more. Thank you to the people who helped me with this. If there are other drugs that should be on here, please let me know and I will add them.

Prescription Drugs

Benzodiazepine: Benzos, Valium, Clonazepam, clams, Ativan, Xanax

Dilaudid: D's, Daryl, 8's, 4's, 2's, 1's

Hydromorph Contin: Beads, the lady, big reds, 30's, 24's, 18's, 12's, 9's, 6's, 3's

Ketamine: Special K, K

Methadone: Juice

Oxycodone: Owen, Onions, 80's, 60's, 40's, 30's, 20's, 10's, 5's

Percocet: Pickles, Peter, TEC's, numbers, A.P.O.'s

Ritalin: Rita, 20's, 16's, 10's, white ones, blue ones

Other Drugs

Heroin: Smack, Hard Stuff, Horse, Junk, Point

Cocaine: Snow, blow, powder, soft

Crack: Rocks, hard

Ecstasy: E

Hashish: Hash, black

LSD: Paper, acid

Marijuana: Weed, green, buds, grass

Mushrooms: Shrooms, zoomers

Speed: Fast

To try to figure out if your child is using drugs, you have to go looking for evidence. Please don’t wait until you see the signs on your own. By the time you start seeing such things as pills or drug paraphernalia, your youth’s addiction will already be advanced. They hide things very well and, for the most part, only get careless when the drug use is out of control (or getting there).

The first thing you can do is search your child’s room from time to time. Search drawers, under furniture, in pockets, inside DVD players (yes, inside!), in kitbags, and everywhere else. Leave no item unturned. Do not tell them you are going to do the search as this will allow them time to move stuff elsewhere. Just do it discreetly and don’t mess up their stuff! They shouldn’t even be able to tell you were in their room unless, of course, you find something and have to confront them.

If you didn’t find anything in the search, consider yourself very lucky, and go on with your day. Do not tell them that you searched the room. This will just make them upset. Continue to do random searches. If you suspect drug use, search more often. Just be aware that they may be carrying the drugs on them, which is why you may not find anything in your search.

In fairness to all the kids out there who are not doing drugs, keep your search to just drugs. It would be unfair to read their diaries, journals, letters, etc. unless you had reason to suspect drug use (or that they may be in harm's way for another reason). If you stumble across things that are not drug-related but still worrisome, use that as an opportunity to talk to your child about the issue. Don't tell them what prompted the talk. Just talk.

You may feel like you are violating your child’s privacy and that feels wrong. I understand. I used to feel that way too (before my world came crashing down). Just remember that you are doing it out of love and responsibility to keep them safe. I can tell you with complete certainty that the fearful feeling of watching your child caught up in addiction is so much worse (indescribable, really) than feeling a little bit of guilt from violating their privacy!

If you do find a pill or another type of drug in your child’s room and don’t know what it is, you can do the following to try to figure it out:

1.       You can try finding it on this RCMP Drug Identification Chart.

2.      Visit this Canadian Drug Fact Sheet site to learn more about the drug(s). In some cases, a physical description of the drug is included with the other information.

3.     Do a Google image search of each of the drugs listed. You may find a pill that looks like the one you found. Here is the link to the Google toolbar.

4.      If you can’t find it online, take the pill to your local pharmacist and ask them. They should be able to provide answers for you.

You should also monitor your youth’s cell phone activity. Of course, they may delete their text messages as they go along but you can request a log of phone activity from your cell phone provider if need be. I would only do this if you have good reason to suspect drug use. Again, your child does not have to know any of this. Telling them would only alert them so that they can delete anything incriminating or use another method for their transactions.

You should also be friends with your child on Facebook (and follow them on other social media sites that they use) whether you suspect drug use or not. This was a must for our children if they wanted Facebook. They knew that if they deleted me as a friend, they would lose access to Facebook. The same goes for other social media. I’ve never been deleted and have been able to monitor their online activity.  If your child is using drugs, you may find clues on their social media sites. For instance, your child may like the “Marijuana Party of Canada” or they may post a photo of a marijuana leaf on Facebook. These are red flags that your child could possibly be involved in a drug culture.

Please also check here to see if your child is showing signs of drug use.

These are just a few examples of things that you can do to keep your child safe. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be on top of this. If your child is using drugs, the earlier they get into treatment, the better the outcome will be. If they are not using drugs, that is wonderful.

Sincerely,

Rose

LOSS and ENABLING

The photo above is so powerful and has so much meaning for parents of addicted children. Only another parent could understand this kind of loss. While we are very grateful that our children are still alive – where there is life, there is hope – our children are lost to us in another way. They look the same but do not act the same – not even close! Sometimes, though, we do get glimpses of the boys and girls we raised. I believe those glimpses are God’s way of telling us to never give up on them. He reminds us that they are still inside fighting a demon (that is how I describe addiction) that is powerful and wants to destroy them. I will NEVER give up on my son. I will NOT let the disease win. 

In this fight, I had to learn as much as possible about addiction. One thing I've learned is that we cannot enable our children. Doing so will give the disease the upper hand.  Click here to read the10 points to stop enabling, recover your sense of control, and hopefully stall your loved one's descent into disaster.

My prayers go out to all the people caught up in this disease and their families. I wish you much strength and love. Please remember, you are not alone in this fight (even though you may feel like it sometimes).

Sincerely,
Rose

My World Came Crashing Down

Since I started speaking publicly about our family’s experience, I’ve met so many wonderful people in person, through emails, over the phone, and on social media sites. One particular email moved me to tears. It is from a young lady named Claire who is battling addiction. She so eloquently tells her story about the struggles of being an opiate addict and trying to get help in an underfunded system. Her story is representative of so many people needing treatment.

Her name and some details have been changed to protect her identify. I have permission to share this with you as she wants to help in this fight too.

WARNING: The first email will move you to tears. Her follow up email will break your heart.

Dear Rose

I have been reading your articles and I am truly inspired by your courage to come out and tell the Island about your struggles.  My name is Claire, I am 22 years old and I am an opiate addict. My addiction started about 3 years ago and since then everything in my life has deteriorated. I have been to jail, I am on probation, I almost lost my life in a car accident, I have lost jobs, I have lost friends, and I have lost myself.

I have been desperately trying to get help for sometime now. I have been to detox 6 times this year and began (but didn't complete) the Strength program twice. I have come to realize my only way out of this addiction is to be inducted onto the Methadone program and I am currently attending a readiness program. I have completed the required amount of meetings and I have to wait until a spot opens but that could be months away. I don't know how much longer I can wait. It's so hard living everyday wondering how you will get your next pill. I have a child and because of my addiction I have to have supervised visits.

I want you to know that it's people like you that give me the strength to share my story and reach out for help. Thank- you for everything you have done to help us suffering addicts. I want my story to be told so I can help someone like you, who has helped me. I want the media and government to realize how much of an epidemic this problem really is. I want more resources and more programs made available to addicts in need, and I am hoping by me sharing my story, it will make even a small difference. It is my generation that is sick and my generation’s responsibility to speak up and make a difference, one story at a time. My story isn't over yet but hopefully it will be soon.

I promise you that once I am better I won't just move on and forget. I will help fight this battle and help make a change so another addict doesn't have to wait or be denied treatment like I have been.

Once again, thank-you.

Yours truly, Claire

Here is Claire’s follow up email that came two weeks later:

Hey Rose,

Sorry for taking so long to get a hold of you. I wanted to tell you that I have completed and accomplished all the meetings and requirements requested for the Methadone readiness program. At my last meeting I was told that my name would be brought forward at the next meeting on Friday, April 26^th. I thought it would be the end to my terrible way of living. I was so relieved and proud of myself for not giving up. Due to a staff shortage, there are no more meetings.

Today, I called someone at Mount Herbert to ask her how the meeting went on the 26^th and to find out if I was accepted into the Methadone program. Well her response was anything but positive. She informed me she has no idea what will happen with me or my group. My name was brought up but, unfortunately, they do not have the funds and amount of staff necessary to have anyone inducted onto Methadone this month. My world came crashing down in front of me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

What is wrong with the government? Even though I did the work, showed the motivation, put in the time, met all the requirements they asked of me, and now, after all that I was told, they can't afford to do what they promised me from the beginning. I don't know what I am going to do now. I don't even have meetings anymore that I can attend. This problem at Mount Herbert needs to be addressed because, for those people on the Island struggling with addiction, Mount Herbert is our only source of help and tools for recovery.

I want to help anyway I can, Rose. You can share my story with people so we can start to make awareness. Thank you so much for your support.

Thank you!

Claire