At a recent parent forum at my suburban high school, a drug counselor estimated that half of the students use drugs and alcohol at least occasionally, and half of those become frequent or daily, users. The next speaker was a young woman who spoke eloquently about beginning drug and alcohol use at 14, buying everything from marijuana to heroin in and around the high school, and leaving school at 18 with no diploma and no prospects. Miraculously, 3 years later, she is sober and picking up the pieces of her life.

I sat in the audience, thinking about my older brother John. He began an addiction to drugs and alcohol at 15 or 16, and never regained control of his life. John was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 45. In between were 30 years of estrangement, lost jobs, failed marriages, and legal troubles. He died in a car crash at 47, still battling addiction. I learned of his bipolar diagnosis only after his death in 2004, and so I did not understand the underlying cause of his addictions until it was too late. 

Now I know that drug and alcohol abuse can mask a mood disorder. The teenage years are a time of great peril for those whose brain chemistry puts them at risk for addiction. Teens with bipolar disorder may use drugs and alcohol to lift their mood, to ease anxiety or escape a world they can’t navigate. Kids who have never had friends find acceptance among users, who will include anyone who has money to buy and doesn’t mind sharing.

Drug and alcohol experimentation is not an innocent rite of passage. Marijuana sold today is 700 times more powerful than the drugs that circulated college campuses in the 1970s and 80s, according to experts at the parent forum. Street drugs can induce psychosis in those who are genetically at risk for bipolar disorder, and can cause psychotropic medications to stop working for those already being treated. Many young people are first diagnosed with bipolar disorder while in rehab—sometimes only after their second or third round of treatment.

What wouldn’t you do to save your child from addiction? 

Here are some tips:

1. Know where your child is, and know your child’s friends.
   Get to know the friends’ parents. Share your rules and ask them to tell you know if your child violates these rules. Keep a protective eye on their children, too.
   
   
2.  Don’t allow your middle school or high school child have friends in your home unsupervised, or to be unsupervised at a friend’s house.
   The hours between 4 to 6 p.m. are primetime for teen drug and alcohol use. In my town, a “Mom Squad” was legendary for sniffing out after-school house parties and turning up on the front lawn with a boom box, dancing and singing loudly. Embarrassment can be very effective parenting tool!
   
   
3. Be prepared before a problem begins.
   Lock up alcohol and prescription medications. Be aware of how much cash you have on hand, and notice if money is missing. Be alert to changes in you child’s demeanor, hygiene, grades or friends. Ask what’s going on. Ask again. Stand your ground. If you suspect substance abuse, don’t hesitate to monitor your child’s text messages, Facebook and MySpace accounts. Have your child evaluated by a primary care physician, psychiatrist or therapist, and ask the clinician about potential underlying issues, such as bipolar disorder or depression.
   
   
4. Home Drug Tests
   Some families require their child to take home drug tests, which are available at drugstores everywhere. An expert at the parent forum said this helps children say no to drugs—they can tell peers that their overzealous parents do random testing, and they’ll get caught. Some kids will be grateful for the excuse.
   
   
5.  Help your child to plan in advance what to say when offered drugs.
   It’s easier to resist peer pressure if they are prepared. My 14-year-old son is ready to tell other kids, “No thanks, our family has fragile brain chemistry.” It’s a line he can deliver with a laugh, and very true!
   
   
6. Model the behavior you expect.
   Don’t use illegal drugs and don’t drink to excess.
   
   
7. If you discover that your child has illegal drugs, first seek help from a mental health provider or youth services agency.
   Don’t call police unless you have no other option. When you summon police, you lose control of what might happen, and an arrest can have life-long consequences. For example, a juvenile drug conviction will disqualify a youth from receiving federal college aid or from military service.
   
   
8. Make sure your local high school, community services and police are doing all they can to keep kids safe.
   Ask for a closed school campus, and consider seeking unannounced drug tests and locker checks as a deterrent. Lobby for rehab programs and supports for youth and families. Demand that police shut down drug dealing in a park, a fast food restaurant, a house or an apartment.

The young woman who spoke about her lost high school years advised parents to monitor their children closely, despite the kids’ protests. Supervision might have saved her from addiction, she said. It is vital to stand firm against the push-back.

My brother’s story is tragic, and I can’t help wondering what might have been. When John was a teen, there were few drug treatment services available, and no one suspected bipolar. But what if John were diagnosed and treated for bipolar at 15, as my daughter was? Would he have avoided addiction, gone on to college, lived a productive life, and be alive today?

I can’t know the answers, but I know this: Our kids are worth fighting for, even if it makes them angry. uncomfortable or embarrassed.

Note: Click the blue tags below this blog entry to learn more about drug abuse and bipolar disorder.