- D
- A
Aloha Family and Friends,
As if being attacked with a consequent broken jaw wasn't enough, my son experimented with alcohol over the past few months, as many if not most teenagers do. However, being predisposed to it from both sides of his family, we discovered that he is an alcoholic. He went from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye and I wasted no time in getting him help.
Yes, I am talking about it. We have to. There is nothing to be ashamed of, as addiction is an illness, not a social issue as it’s been treated for generations. And so, we are tending to his illness as we would any other disease by getting him the help he needs. He has so much ahead of him. I am confident that sending him to treatment is the only option in helping him to stay sober and to give him the tools to live a full and prosperous life. After all, he did not choose to be an alcoholic.
**This Monday, February 17 marks 14 days since my son entered a 28-day treatment program for alcohol dependence. They are doing more for him there - in a short amount of time - than he could do in an entire year in an outpatient program! Two things are now clear:
1. He is accepting and willing and doing really well! Hooray!!
2. He definitely has more work to do and needs to stay longer!
Thanks to my family, I was able to cover this “first step” that is a 28-day program. So what’s next? His therapy and recovery team at the treatment center have evaluated his stay thus far and have found that an additional 60 days, at least, would be key to him staying sober and living a productive life after rehab and away from alcohol and drugs.
That’s why I am turning to friends and family. Each of the 2nd and 3rd programs cost $16,000. And this is a heavily discounted rate. In fact, the national average is much higher than this. If you have the means, any amount you can donate goes towards saving my boy and will be so greatly appreciated.
**However, if you are not able to give money, you can still help…
1. Text or email this page to your contacts
2. Share on your social media pages
3. Do you have industry-types or pro sports figures in your contacts whom you think could help with donations or auctionable items?
4. Are there any company owners or higher-ups in your rolodex who might be interested in a do-good opportunity?
5. Know anyone who is sober and therefore might feel compelled to help?
The past few months have been the worst of our lives. I was beyond terrified every day and honestly, so was he. While he’s gone getting help, I sure am doing the same thing for me and for our home.
God has a plan for him. The good news is that he has that faith now. He has a relationship with his Heavenly Father. And, he knows he cannot do this on his own. I am so proud of him thus far and will be his biggest cheerleader...as he trudges the road to happy destiny…
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Love,
Noelle
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some facts:
From an article in the Los Angeles Times:
* A study, part of an NIDA-funded project called Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies, followed 549 patients who had several problems in addition to their drug use and who entered a long-term residential program. Those who dropped out of treatment before 90 days had relapse rates similar to those who stayed in treatment only a day or two. After 90 days, however, relapse rates dropped steadily the longer a person stayed in treatment.
* Studies of youth also reflect the connection between longer care and a greater chance of recovery. A 2001 UCLA study of 1,167 adolescents receiving substance-abuse treatment found that those in treatment for 90 days or more had significantly lower relapse rates than teens in programs of 21 days.
Some of the earliest evidence emerged from high success rates in treatment of addicted health professionals, says Haroutunian: The Federation of State Physician Health Programs has long recommended 90-day treatments and continued follow-up care for doctors who abuse drugs.
Longer treatment reflects the fact that addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder, says Lisa Onken, chief of NIDA’s behavioral and integrative treatment branch.
“The more you have a treatment that can help you become continuously abstinent, the better you do,” she says. “You have to figure out how to be abstinent. You still have cravings. You still have friends offering you drugs. You still have to figure out ways not to use. The longer you are able to do that, the more you are developing skills to help you stay abstinent.”
Additional time in treatment allows people to learn to handle stress, develop ways to cope with environmental cues that could trigger drug use and improve relationships that are needed to sustain recovery.
<<ORIGINAL POST>>
Dear Family and Friends,
I am in dire need of help. As most of you know, last August my two sons and three of their friends were brutally attacked by a group of older teenagers who had befriended them while riding the Los Angeles Metro home from the beach. My younger son sustained the worst injuries. His jaw was broken in three places, requiring surgery, and there was bleeding on his brain. I turned to GoFundMe for help and that procedure was made possible by the generosity of friends, family, and even total strangers.
While he has mostly healed physically, it has been a very dark time for him emotionally and mentally. He fell into a deep depression and began to self-medicate. A lot. His downward spiral has been fast and frightening. As an active, sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous with 13 years in the rooms, I am heartbroken.
The good news is that he wants help and is eager to get it. He realizes he has his whole life in front of him and he’s standing at a crossroads now. He knows he needs to get on the right path and begin to heal. With the guidance of several professionals in the field, I found a rehabilitation center that will get him on the road to recovery. My son has some underlying issues that preceded the horrific attack, and this rehab center believes, as I do, that his chances of staying sober increase tremendously when these other issues are addressed. And they will be thoroughly explored at this facility.
I am humbly writing to ask for financial help so that he can receive this necessary in-patient treatment. None of it is covered by our insurance and time is of the essence. Through generous loans from family, we thankfully have enough funds for him to complete the first 30 days, and so his recovery journey starts this Monday, Feb. 3rd. It’s clear, though, that he will need to move on to the extended program, which includes after-care, for an additional 60 days. Therefore, the amount I am fundraising for is $35,936.
Whatever you can help with will get us closer to ensuring that my precious 15-year-old son has a solid foundation for living, his anxiety and depression will be relieved, the 12 steps of AA recovery will be ingrained in him forever and he will be able to move forward confidently knowing that there IS a life worth living, even fun, without having to turn to alcohol and/or drugs to cope. Without this treatment, I’m terrified my son will be headed down a very difficult and painful road.
Please help if you can. No amount is too small. We are beyond grateful for every single donation.
Thank you,
Noelle
As if being attacked with a consequent broken jaw wasn't enough, my son experimented with alcohol over the past few months, as many if not most teenagers do. However, being predisposed to it from both sides of his family, we discovered that he is an alcoholic. He went from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye and I wasted no time in getting him help.
Yes, I am talking about it. We have to. There is nothing to be ashamed of, as addiction is an illness, not a social issue as it’s been treated for generations. And so, we are tending to his illness as we would any other disease by getting him the help he needs. He has so much ahead of him. I am confident that sending him to treatment is the only option in helping him to stay sober and to give him the tools to live a full and prosperous life. After all, he did not choose to be an alcoholic.
**This Monday, February 17 marks 14 days since my son entered a 28-day treatment program for alcohol dependence. They are doing more for him there - in a short amount of time - than he could do in an entire year in an outpatient program! Two things are now clear:
1. He is accepting and willing and doing really well! Hooray!!
2. He definitely has more work to do and needs to stay longer!
Thanks to my family, I was able to cover this “first step” that is a 28-day program. So what’s next? His therapy and recovery team at the treatment center have evaluated his stay thus far and have found that an additional 60 days, at least, would be key to him staying sober and living a productive life after rehab and away from alcohol and drugs.
That’s why I am turning to friends and family. Each of the 2nd and 3rd programs cost $16,000. And this is a heavily discounted rate. In fact, the national average is much higher than this. If you have the means, any amount you can donate goes towards saving my boy and will be so greatly appreciated.
**However, if you are not able to give money, you can still help…
1. Text or email this page to your contacts
2. Share on your social media pages
3. Do you have industry-types or pro sports figures in your contacts whom you think could help with donations or auctionable items?
4. Are there any company owners or higher-ups in your rolodex who might be interested in a do-good opportunity?
5. Know anyone who is sober and therefore might feel compelled to help?
The past few months have been the worst of our lives. I was beyond terrified every day and honestly, so was he. While he’s gone getting help, I sure am doing the same thing for me and for our home.
God has a plan for him. The good news is that he has that faith now. He has a relationship with his Heavenly Father. And, he knows he cannot do this on his own. I am so proud of him thus far and will be his biggest cheerleader...as he trudges the road to happy destiny…
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Love,
Noelle
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some facts:
From an article in the Los Angeles Times:
* A study, part of an NIDA-funded project called Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies, followed 549 patients who had several problems in addition to their drug use and who entered a long-term residential program. Those who dropped out of treatment before 90 days had relapse rates similar to those who stayed in treatment only a day or two. After 90 days, however, relapse rates dropped steadily the longer a person stayed in treatment.
* Studies of youth also reflect the connection between longer care and a greater chance of recovery. A 2001 UCLA study of 1,167 adolescents receiving substance-abuse treatment found that those in treatment for 90 days or more had significantly lower relapse rates than teens in programs of 21 days.
Some of the earliest evidence emerged from high success rates in treatment of addicted health professionals, says Haroutunian: The Federation of State Physician Health Programs has long recommended 90-day treatments and continued follow-up care for doctors who abuse drugs.
Longer treatment reflects the fact that addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder, says Lisa Onken, chief of NIDA’s behavioral and integrative treatment branch.
“The more you have a treatment that can help you become continuously abstinent, the better you do,” she says. “You have to figure out how to be abstinent. You still have cravings. You still have friends offering you drugs. You still have to figure out ways not to use. The longer you are able to do that, the more you are developing skills to help you stay abstinent.”
Additional time in treatment allows people to learn to handle stress, develop ways to cope with environmental cues that could trigger drug use and improve relationships that are needed to sustain recovery.
<<ORIGINAL POST>>
Dear Family and Friends,
I am in dire need of help. As most of you know, last August my two sons and three of their friends were brutally attacked by a group of older teenagers who had befriended them while riding the Los Angeles Metro home from the beach. My younger son sustained the worst injuries. His jaw was broken in three places, requiring surgery, and there was bleeding on his brain. I turned to GoFundMe for help and that procedure was made possible by the generosity of friends, family, and even total strangers.
While he has mostly healed physically, it has been a very dark time for him emotionally and mentally. He fell into a deep depression and began to self-medicate. A lot. His downward spiral has been fast and frightening. As an active, sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous with 13 years in the rooms, I am heartbroken.
The good news is that he wants help and is eager to get it. He realizes he has his whole life in front of him and he’s standing at a crossroads now. He knows he needs to get on the right path and begin to heal. With the guidance of several professionals in the field, I found a rehabilitation center that will get him on the road to recovery. My son has some underlying issues that preceded the horrific attack, and this rehab center believes, as I do, that his chances of staying sober increase tremendously when these other issues are addressed. And they will be thoroughly explored at this facility.
I am humbly writing to ask for financial help so that he can receive this necessary in-patient treatment. None of it is covered by our insurance and time is of the essence. Through generous loans from family, we thankfully have enough funds for him to complete the first 30 days, and so his recovery journey starts this Monday, Feb. 3rd. It’s clear, though, that he will need to move on to the extended program, which includes after-care, for an additional 60 days. Therefore, the amount I am fundraising for is $35,936.
Whatever you can help with will get us closer to ensuring that my precious 15-year-old son has a solid foundation for living, his anxiety and depression will be relieved, the 12 steps of AA recovery will be ingrained in him forever and he will be able to move forward confidently knowing that there IS a life worth living, even fun, without having to turn to alcohol and/or drugs to cope. Without this treatment, I’m terrified my son will be headed down a very difficult and painful road.
Please help if you can. No amount is too small. We are beyond grateful for every single donation.
Thank you,
Noelle