Clues (and hope) for parents: Clues to look for, plus a new texting service that could save a life

Remember when your parents warned marijuana and alcohol were the gateway to hell, or at least to hard drugs that would ruin your life? Today that gateway runs right under your nose, past your refrigerator, through the bathroom medicine chest and into the palm of your own child’s hand.

The course of prescription drug addiction advances more rapidly than almost any other disease. While prevention is the best strategy, this generation of parents faces greater challenges than any other in protecting their children.

By the time his parents realized their son had developed an addiction to painkillers, Jeremy Traylor owned nothing—not his prized car stereo or even the clothes on his back. He had sold everything to satisfy an insatiable desire for OxyContin.

Despite 80 days of sobriety and a future that held the promise of a new job, a car and college plans, Jeremy died of an irregular heartbeat presumably caused by OxyContin usage.

While his story saddens, it does not surprise Tonja Myles, cofounder of Set Free Indeed, where Jeremy gained hope. “People can overcome addiction,” she asserts. “But people, places and things have to change. Family is vital to recovery. But when it’s all said and done, it’s up to the individual. We live in fear of the ‘one more time.’ We pray when temptation comes into view, they’re going to use the tools that we give them.”

Like the Traylors, most parents never suspect their child could be exposed to or obtain a dangerous controlled substance without their knowledge.

“I don’t know that we have more kids now that are predisposed to be drug addicts than we did five generations ago,” says neurosurgeon Dr. Allen S. Joseph, “but we certainly have more access.”

Several factors put this generation at risk of developing a drug dependency much faster than any before.

“More adolescents are using because (they) don’t have to go seek out a drug dealer on a corner,” says Myles. “(They) can just go in their cabinet, get it online or go to a friend.”

AMPING UP ADDICTION

Some kids’ first exposure to addictive substances comes straight from supermarket shelves. Rockstar, Monster, Amp, Full Throttle and other “energy drinks” have recently come under fire by the Food and Drug Administration for containing enough stimulants to cause cravings, addiction and withdrawal symptoms. A secondary concern, says Dr. Michael Burdine, a board-certified pain specialist and president of the Capital Area Medical Society, “is stimulants cause teenagers to stay awake and party longer. You see them mix Red Bull and vodka. They not only want to be drunk, but awake and alert when they are drunk.” Oftentimes, that state encourages hazardous behavior or experimentation with other substances.

When it comes to dangerous controlled substances, the sheer volume Americans purchase is startling. Chances are you don’t have to look very far to know where they go. “(Medical professionals) are prescribing more opioid pain medications, and that’s why they’re in medicine cabinets, where kids find them and people steal them,” says Seth Kunen, a clinical psychologist and director of research and grants at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospital’s Office for Addictive Disorders. “We’ve got lots of pain medications out there for people to get hold of.”

MORE PRESCRIPTIONS THAN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS

Because this generation of young people has grown up taking more prescriptions than its predecessors, these children often lack inhibition toward medicine. Diagnoses of allergies, attention deficit disorders (ADD), asthma and other childhood maladies are on the rise. Since most children have health care coverage, companies have developed better, profitable medicines and therapies for childhood illnesses. Doctors now routinely test and prescribe medicine for conditions that were once considered untreatable.

In fact, the number of kids now taking medication at school has soared and has caused policy changes. “Two years ago, having a prescription drug on campus was grounds for expulsion,” says Edward Foster, child welfare and discipline director for Livingston Parish Schools. “It is no longer an expellable offense.”

Some diagnoses and their corresponding medication make patients more vulnerable to addiction. For example, Burdine says, “You take a patient with a predisposition to ADD, you give them a stimulant and it slows them down. You give them a narcotic (like OxyContin) and it keeps them up. They like the narcotic because it makes things more stimulating. The more they take, the more active they become. They will take the narcotic to stay in their manic phase.”

But non-medical use of pharmaceuticals poses risk—even to an unmedicated, seemingly healthy child. “A percentage of the population has a genetic predisposition toward addictive personality,” Burdine says. “If you have a party and 30 kids show up, there’s at least three with an addictive personality.” Those kids will develop dependence almost instantaneously.

While all that information is enough to frighten parents, it isn’t likely to deter kids. “I’ve found a trait in Jeremy that I find in a lot of kids that are on drugs,” says Keith Traylor, Jeremy’s father. “They’re not balanced as to know when to quit … and they don’t have a healthy fear of getting in trouble, of drugs controlling their lives and of reaching the point of no return.”

WHAT’S A PARENT TO DO?

The first step is to realize every family is vulnerable and every child will confront the temptation to try a stimulant, sedative, painkiller or tranquilizer.

“Parents are so funny,” says Myles. “They say they have a good home. And they do. But most people who abuse drugs—they’re good people. They just made a bad choice. Good people make bad choices all the time.

“That’s why parents need to talk to their kids and tell them: If anybody offers you anything, don’t take it. It’s not cool. It’s not fun. It’s not so you can have a better time at a party. No. It’s the road that leads to destruction.”

Since simply warning kids is rarely enough, Joseph prescribes a parental change of attitude. “We all know that our kids can develop illnesses,” he says. “We somehow think of substance abuse differently than we think of an illness. It’s not a rare disease, and it can happen to anybody. Just like anybody can get diabetes, anybody can become a drug addict.

“Parents don’t want to believe their kid is a drug addict. (But) healthy suspicion on the part of the parent is well placed. (The kids) don’t go into (experimentation) with the idea of being a drug addict, but it happens when they find better living through chemistry.”

Based on his experiences, Keith Traylor says being astute to some old-school indicators is essential to detect drug use early. “It’s things we’ve always learned growing up—if their grades drop, if they become introverted, if they become aggressive, if the communication stops and if their choice of friends changes.”

TEXT2TELL

Traditional parenting techniques—eavesdropping on phone conversations, denying permission to associate with undesirable friends or attend questionable parties—have met their match in the secretive, silent world of texting. Even if parents can read their kids’ messages, they may be unable to decode drug lingo.

Melissa Traylor, Jeremy’s mother, is determined to turn the tables on texting with Text2Tell. Although her son’s life was shortened by his ability to secretly contact drug dealers, she is now intent on harnessing technology to save lives rather than destroy them.

Her plan is to encourage teenagers who fear for a friend to anonymously send a message to Text2Tell, which will immediately contact a parent or professionals.

“I’m not out to get anybody in trouble,” says Melissa. “I don’t want other people to die. I cannot sit through another kid’s funeral.”

While her mission is laudable, it’s not without risk. “It’s not easy to tell parents. You never know what kind of reaction you’re going to get. When I found out a kid was with my child doing something wrong, I would call the parents,” Traylor says.

“Most of the time, they would not call me back (or) the kid would erase the message. Several mothers got angry and said, ‘How dare you say anything about my child?’ One father chewed me up left and right, up and down. I get scared, but it’s to save a life.”

Working with other families to solve the issues that tore hers apart is a tremendous challenge less than a year after Jeremy’s death. Still, Melissa remains focused on her mission. “Sometimes it gets me down,” she says. “I realize I should have done this or that for Jeremy. But I did what I could at the time and (with) what I knew. And, since I know more now, I can help others. Just like what I didn’t know, others don’t know.”

Melissa Traylor and Myles plan to host an event in March to launch the new text service, and are scheduled to debut a new Web site called thejeremytraylorfoundation.org.