Pubdate: Mon, 14 Nov 2005
Source: Truth, The (Elkhart, IN)
Copyright: 2005 Truth Publishing Inc.
Contact:  http://www.etruth.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1706
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Author: Teresa Auch
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Finding Help For Child Hooked On Drugs Difficult; County Has Programs 
But People Unaware

ELKHART -- Dawn Waggoner wanted her son to get into trouble with the law.

The way she saw it, being put on probation was the only way her son, 
Chris Waggoner, could get a referral into rehab to help kick his drug habit.

"It's pretty bad when you want your kid to get nailed in court," she said.

She accepts the 15-year-old would have found a way to use drugs, but 
she believes he might not have died April 19 if she had been able to 
find him help.

Programs are available to help parents in Dawn's situation, but 
officials say more resources, improved communication and better 
advertising are needed.

Chris had dabbled with marijuana, Adderall and magic mushrooms in the 
past, his mother said. But his problem came to a head April 10 when 
he and a friend took jimson weed, a legal, naturally growing drug 
that causes hallucinations and a faster heartbeat.

Police had taken him into custody because he was aggressive and 
trying to break into a car that he thought was his friend's. They 
released him to his school, Life Program at the Elkhart Area Career 
Center, where administrators noticed he was high.

The hospital wouldn't keep him, though, his mother said, because his 
blood and urine tests came back clear.

Jimson weed does not usually appear in normal tests, said Ken Norman, 
manager of addiction programs at Oaklawn, one of the clinics where 
Dawn tried to get her son admitted. Without a referral from the 
courts, police or hospital, Oaklawn couldn't take him, she said.

A medical facility in another city finally agreed to admit him, but 
only long enough for him to come down from his high, she said. He was 
discharged after a day, but the hallucinations continued. He kept 
looking for a cigarette he never had, chased around a dog that wasn't 
there and at one point didn't recognize her, Dawn said.

Chris died 10 days later from an accidental overdose of methadone.

"I figured it was just a matter of time until he wanted a bigger 
high," his mother said.

Dawn says she had tried getting her son help for a year -- asking 
police, doctors, family and friends for referrals. But she did not 
learn of any programs offering help with drug addictions.

Richard Pedler, president of Recovery Journey in Elkhart, which 
offers counseling to juveniles, said that is one of the problems with 
counseling programs in the county.

"The public is not aware of the resources available," he said.

An umbrella group, which the county lacks, could help distribute 
information to the public about where to find help, he said.

The group would have other benefits.

The county has the resources to help adolescents battle drug abuse, 
Pedler said, but the programs and centers lack a central group that 
could be used to come together.

"The treatment options are fragmented to the point that I'm not sure 
anybody is really sure what anyone else is doing," he said.

Cathy Blum, an Elkhart drug-abuse counselor, says more programs are 
needed, though.

"The programs that we have here are good, but there just aren't 
enough of them," she said.

Clyde Riley, principal of Elkhart Community Schools' alternative 
programs, said his program has about an 80 percent success rate, but 
it can only help so many people.

"We can't accommodate all the kids who need to and want to be in a 
program like this," he said. "We have to turn people away."

None of the programs are a sure bet, though. In the end, teenagers 
have to want to quit using drugs, Blum said.

Chris was a student at Life Program, a part of Elkhart Community 
Schools' alternative programs, but he had not attended in about two 
months prior to his death, Dawn said.

"We're not going to force anybody to really quit," Blum said. "Even 
locking them up isn't a sure thing."

Dawn has come to a similar belief herself but still wonders if Chris 
would be alive today if he had been able to get more help.

"It might not have saved his life, but it might have postponed (his 
death)," she said.

Contact Teresa Auch at  Send a message to Teresa 
Auch Check out my Bio or BlogRecent stories by Teresa Auch) Before 
it's too late) 'Deep Throat' lawyer backs anonymity) Canned 
heatAdditional Information:Finding helpSome of the available programs 
in Elkhart County that do not require referrals for acceptance.

Prime for Life: Outpatient clinic that offers counseling for 
teenagers. Call 970-1664 for more information.

Information helpline: Call 293-8671 to access the help line, which 
can give advice and help with referrals.

Recovery Journey:

Outpatient program that offers weekly treatments. Call 264-5840.

Life Program: Alternative school run through Elkhart Community 
Schools. Call 295-4903.
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MAP posted-by: Beth