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Ds did drugs and had some in his room

libbie's picture

I'm stunned right now. Ds is not a kid I would have ever expected to even try drugs. Up until this year he didn't have any friends and he never left the house due to him being really shy and having anxiety. I have seen so much growth with him that over the summer I allowed him to quit therapy because he started complained about it and didn't want to go anymore. I really thought we were headed in the right direction with him. I called his therapist and she wants to see him but he is refusing to go which is also very unlike him. Saturday night ds and sd went to the movies with some friends and sd called dh after the movie saying that ds was smoking pot in a van with some of the guys who went and she didn't know what to do. Dh and I went up there and got both of them and brought them home. Sd made dh swear not to tell bs she told, just that we decided to check on them and that's how he got caught. Dh and I searched his room and he had a small bag of weed. Dh hit the roof and I just stood there stunned. Have any of you caught your kids with drugs? What did you do and did it work? Is this going to get worse? With everything ds has gone through in his life he is the kid that would have an excuse to do drugs but I can't let this happen.

Comments

fairyo's picture

I caught my teenage son doing skunk in his room with some friends. I kicked them out and told him I didn't want that happening under my roof. A few months later we had a big altercation and I sent him to live with his dad awhile. I thought he'd come back in a week, but he didn't. His dad didn't mind the drugs. Skip to years later, my son has amounted to a hill of beans- he still expects me to bail him out of trouble. He still thinks cannabis is the key to everything but it led him on the road to nowhere. Do I regret being so hard on him? No. He knows my opinion on his habit- it has ruined his life. No one has an excuse to do drugs-many people have a shit life but rise above it. Sorry to sound harsh but drugs are the worse thing in my opinion. I feel for you. Maybe you will get different advice from someone else, but this is my experience. It has broken my heart.

queensway's picture

Libbie most teenagers try pot. Not all but most try it. Not all that try it like it. I would talk with your DS and see what he says. Leave the SD out of it.

libbie's picture

With everything ds has been through drugs and drinking will never be the answer for him. I've smoked pot but I did it at college and never in my parents home. He did it in the parking lot at the movies and he could have been arrested.

StepUltimate's picture

Exactly. I will be trotting this out after June - if you can afford it go live it... elsewhere. I'm so wanting to be done with the lying lazy stoner wanna-be thug life, with all the strategic helplessness and victimhood of the addict, even though I love the kid. Painful b.s. for 4+ years now.

fairyo's picture

Same for me- I found some growing in 'pots' in my garden one day and I got rid of it. My son still hasn't forgiven me but I don't care- I could have lost my job.

Livingoutloud's picture

Sorry you are dealing with it.

No. Didn't have such experience with DD but one of my SDs has pretty much her life forever upside down due to drugs. Unfortunately it often starts with pot but then escalates into heavier stuff/selling/arrests etc. Take him to a therapist and to a doctor asap. Often people with anxiety and ptsd who arent on any meds are seeking drugs to make themselves feel better. My OSD is bipolar but refuses to take meds, so she turned to drugs instead. Also it looks like your SD and DS need new friends. Is it a rough neighborhood?

StepUltimate's picture

See my two recent blog entries; the path my SS17 embarked on at 12 and kept the innocent little boy con going until I busted him at 13... since then, learned that all apologies & promises not to use were lies. Now he's a senior and only friends are drug buddies. Consequences need to be swift, severe, and include loss if freedoms and privileges. Track who he contscts & when to learn the frequency and who is hooking up the pot connect. In hindsight, DH was in Disney Dad mode and was afraid to follow thru on key threatened punishments (like calling the cops if we found pot in his room or backpack again) so SS operating on the premise that continued use & lying are a safe risk. This has destroyed the trust & SS17 isn't allowed to have friends iver when we're not there, so he's gone all the time 'cuz we're not cool enough to be cool with hosting underage partiers who have zero respect for us or our home. It sucks!

FieryEscape's picture

ALL teenagers make mistakes. Most of us adults did the same things when we were that age ( or worse ).

My SD recently was busted for weed because they ( her and the other dumb kids she was with ) posted in on social media and someone told on her.

In the case of my SD , her dad talked to and made her fess up and hand everything over to be destroyed. She was lectured about the consequences of being caught again with it ( either by the police or by her dad ). She also will get reminded of her choices when she tries to pull the " I'm just a kid card ". She has to spend her allowance on the little extras she wants now , because if she can spend her money on pot , she can spend it on other things. I was also furious that it had happened in MY house. Kids can be so dumb sometimes.

And the " it's only weed " argument is annoying. Even in states were it is legal, there is an age requirement.

agitated's picture

Most teenagers experiment with pot and it doesn't lead to anything else. I tried it for the first time right after my 18th birthday, my senior year of high school. I smoked regularly for a couple years (while going to college), and then it was time to jump on the adult wagon (get a career) so I stopped smoking. It hasn't affected anything in my life. I'll admit that over the past 15 years I have indulged a few times with friends who choose to smoke daily, but that just isn't my lifestyle.

I suggest talking to your DS about the potential consequences of drugs and then keep an eye on him. If his attitude and demeanor start to change (like he's doing other kinds of drugs) you need to intervene. However, if he appears to be "normal" (as normal as teens can be anyway), goes to school, keeps his grades up, etc., I wouldn't worry too much about it. I will add, that IF my children (almost all teens now) decide to try pot I'm not going to flip out on them. Allow it, NO. This is just my extremely honest opinion however.

DaizyDuke's picture

I can honestly say that I NEVER smoked pot until I was in my 30's. Oh, all my friends did in high school and I saw it going on all the time, but I was a bit of a anxious/nervous nelly about health and not doing dumb stuff, so I always just said no. I did however partake in my fair share of Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers as a minor. I kind of think it's a right of passage of sorts for teenagers?

It just makes me nervous knowing when that line will be crossed? .. like my SS who started smoking dope at about age 11, is still smoking pretty much daily at age 18 and is a high school drop out, with no job, no goals for life and acts like he's on horse tranquilizers when you talk to him.

Dovina's picture

I never tried the stuff until 43!! Not my thing. But wine is!! I remember as a kid watching a movie "Go ask Alice" about a teenager experimenting with drugs starting with pot ending up with harder drugs and she overdosed and died. That did it for me when I was young.
Today I think there is more availability, and it is not frowned upon as much. Good or bad, its out there. Just hoping that kids make good choices.

fairyo's picture

There is a difference between cannabis oil (which is not easy to extract) and smoking regular amounts of weed, which these days is far more potent than the stuff we would smoke back in the day. Far from being a relaxation aid it has been proved to cause severe paranoia and memory loss in teenage brains. I work with young people who have been seriously affected by this drug- it disrupts their education and makes them demanding to be around. They neglect their hygiene and frequently lose their teeth. It is not called dope'for nothing. Health benefits for people with chronic illness? Maybe. A recreation drug for young people with developing personalities, minds and bodies? No.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Regardless of how anyone feels, it's an illegal substance unless obtained with a medical prescription (in many places).

Ninji's picture

Some people (including myself) can lose their entire careers because of drugs being found in their home...including marijuana.

And some people aren't ok with their kids doing drugs at 14...including marijuana.

fairyo's picture

My son has never forgiven me for throwing away some cannabis I found growing in my garden. If the neighbours had spotted it and reported it I would have lost my job.

IDontCare3117's picture

Yeah, no. Your son needs to build a bridge and get over it. You don't grow illegal substances in your mom's (or anyone else's) yard so you can imitate Jeff Spicolli.

I've got friends who smoke dope, and they my rules about it: 1) don't bring into my house, 2) don't bring it into my car, 3) don't let me get in their car if they have pot with them. Like others here, I get caught around that stuff and I can kiss my career good-bye.

secret's picture

I don't consider pot a "hard drug".

I've smoked it a handful of times, but I don't "do it".

Medical use aside, there's smoking a doob to relax now and then... then there's smoking endless weed to self-medicate, at the detriment of everything else in your life...

My son is just about 15. I told him I expect him to make good choices, and that I don't ever want to hear about him getting busted with dope.... or his life as he knows it is O.V.E.R. That said, I don't see pot as anymore dangerous than an occasional drink to relax. I just don't do it myself.

notsurehowtodeal's picture

Do you know the friends who went with DS to the movies? Are these friends from school or some he has met over the summer? Friends have a lot of influence at this age and it seems like the "stoner" group in school is more accepting and less judgemental than most of the other cliques. He may have started using pot to fit in.

I also agree with the possibility that he may be "self-medicating" with pot. It may help his anxiety. I can't remember, is Bear still at the in-laws or is he back with DS?

In addition to making it clear that you will not allow him to use pot, I'd try and find out why he is using it.

libbie's picture

The boys are friends of friends in sds group of friends. Bear is home and happy. I worry he is using to fit in to. His style has changed and he doesn't talk to me like he used to.

ESMOD's picture

The problem is that there is a reason why the call it a gateway drug. Not all pot users go on to harder drugs.. but I believe most hard drug users have smoked pot.

That isn't to say that this means he is doomed. But, I think it's perfectly reasonable to read him the riot act.. not in my home and while you live under my roof.. my rules stuff.

fairyo's picture

Who are 'these people?' My son is addicted to cannabis and has been since he was a teenager. He rarely drinks and has never taken prescription drugs. His life has been wrecked by dope- he can't hold down a job, form constructive relationships and has a warped view of the world. I still carry him financially and live with the results of his 'need' of this stuff almost every day of my life...

twoviewpoints's picture

Can I ask how the kids got to the movie? Did you drop them off and planned to pick-up, or did you allow the 14yr olds to get in the van with kids old enough to drive?

At 14 (yeah, almost 15) I don't feel young teens should be hanging with kids that drive. The vehicle and the freedom of being able to 'party' on wheels is absolutely nothing new for teens. You can't supervise the teens 24/7, but you can limit their ability to have the opportunity of driving and using drugs/alcohol.

I didn't see what, if any, consequences you've decided to hand out? Kid are going to try things. I'm willing to bet you have never really discussed drugs/alcohol with your son because you never felt the need. But your son has went a long way in overcoming his issues of anxiety. Due to them, he's been pretty sheltered. Now he isn't. He was tempted and he took. You disapprove so my question is how are you handling the incident? Have you sat and talked to him? Have you discussed teen peer pressure? Talked to him as to why you disapprove other than it is an illegal drug in your state and at his age (if state was legal for weed)?

Does your school do the random drug test on students? If so, is he aware that if his number comes up and he' got weed in his system his school sport and school sponsored activities are going to be revoked. Is he aware that he got lucky he wasn't arrested? If he had been arrested how would you deal with that? You need to discus thee things with him.

One of our members who is no longer here, her 17yr old daughter was arrested. It was a tiny teeny bit of weed. I doubt *we* will hear how it turns out for her teen now , but yeah, the member was floored. Unfortunately her blogs no longer exist here so you can't go read the different advice and support she received.

I really have nothing, but to suggest you not let your son drop his therapy. Tip her off on the incident and let her talk to your son about the incident and the whys and whats now. If he won't go, you go. You talk to the therapist on how you feel about this and what she thinks you might say/do to help your son sort through decisions like this.

onwednesdayswewearpink's picture

I started smoking pot at 14 and can promise you that I'm now a productive member of adult society. Make a giant deal about it, ground him for the next month so he thinks twice before buying again but just know that he's probably just being a teenager and will grow out of this.