Teen Drug Help
Illinois Mom Organizes Drug Forum After Three Young People Die of Heroin Overdose
Parents in Lake Zurich, Ill., are concerned about teen heroin use, especially because three Lake Zurich High School alumni have died of heroin overdose within the past 14 months. One mom, Michelle Hines, is taking action. She has initiated a local drug forum where parents can learn about drug use in their community.
Hines commented: "When I found out about all the kids dying, I thought, 'Enough already.' Someone's got to do something. We've got to fight back. Heroin is in our town and kids are dying. If parents don't know it's here, then they can't educate their kids. We're doing the best we can to let them know."
In December 2008, 19-year-old Kelly Gawron, a Lake Zurich High School alumnus, was discovered dead in her bed after overdosing on heroin. Then, in June 2009, a 22-year-old former student died in the hospital three days after he overdosed on heroin. Only one month later, a 21-year-old former student died in a halfway house of an overdose.
Needle marks, also called "track marks," used to be a tell-tale sign of heroin use. However, with a dramatic increase in the purity of heroin available over the last few years, users no longer need to inject heroin. The drug can be smoked or snorted. One objective of the forum is to inform parents about changes like these. Another objective is to fight the "not my kid" attitude that many parents may have.
Hines commented: "There have been so many parents who believe this would not happen to their kids. Their kids are in sports. Their kids are in every activity, and there's no sign of foul play. The signs aren't the same anymore."
(Source: dailyherald.com)
Labels: drug overdose, heroin
Texas Teen Dies of 'Cheese' Overdose
In September 2007, 16-year-old Ana Rojas was dropped off by her father at her friend's house to spend the night. The next day, she was found dead of a "cheese" overdose, after spending the night out with friends. "Cheese," a mixture of Mexican black tar heroin and cold medicine, was readily available at the friend's apartment and at a party the teen attended, according to a witness.
Dallas County prosecutors are charging Victor Tellez, the brother of Ana's friend Julie, with delivering a controlled substance to a child in the death of Ana Rojas. Tellez faces life in prison if convicted.
According to Victoria Gonzales, 19, who testified at Tellez's trial, Ana snorted the drug at the Tellez apartment, at a party they went to and again upon returning to the apartment later that night. Ana, a 10th grader at a local charter school, also had marijuana and Xanax in her system, according to toxicology reports.
At least 32 people ages 18 or younger in Dallas County have died of "cheese" overdoses since 2005.
(Source: www.dallasnews.com)
Labels: drug overdose, drug-abuse, liability
New York and Other States Battle Teen Heroin Use, Overdose
Heroin abuse is on the rise across the United States and school authorities and parents are seeing the results. Heroin is now cheaper and purer than ever before.
According to local New York authorities, a small bag of heroin is cheaper than a six-pack of beer and is estimated to be 15 times purer than it was in the 1970s. The increased purity means that users can snort the heroin. Many teens have the mistaken idea that snorting the drug makes them less likely to become addicted to it.
Approximately 46 people in Nassau County, N.Y., died from heroin overdose. This represents an increase of 75 percent over the previous year. In Will County, Ill., 23 people this year have died from heroin overdose, compared to 16 last year. The number of heroin overdose deaths has tripled in Jefferson County, Alabama, from 6 in 2007 to 18 this year.
(Source: www.cbsnews.com)
Labels: drug overdose, heroin abuse
Wisconsin Mom Charged in Son's Heroin Overdose Death
A Wisconsin woman has been charged with intentionally contributing to the delinquency of a child causing death and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Patricia Strosina, 46, of Waterford, was observed buying drugs for herself and her 16-year-old son, Raymond, on at least one occasion.
On a September morning, Raymond's father found him slumped over in the computer room, a syringe nearby. Raymond's father contacted law enforcement authorities, saying he believed his son had overdosed.
An autopsy showed that Raymond overdosed on heroin and cocaine and stopped breathing. When the Racine County Sheriff's Department began investigating the death, people began pointing to Raymond's mother.
Witnesses reported that Raymond started smoking marijuana around age 14, but by age 15 his mother was giving him heroin to snort. Other witnesses reported that they saw Strosina inject heroin into her son's arm and that mother and son smoked marijuana and crack together several times a week. When Strosina was brought in for questioning, she admitted giving him heroin. Her preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 29, 2009.
(Source: www.journaltimes.com)
Labels: cocaine, drug overdose, heroin
Washington Teen Dies from Combination of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs
Ryan DePuy, a 17-year-old from Washington State, overdosed on a toxic mix of prescription and over-the-counter medications. He ingested a narcotic pain killer, an antidepressant, and two over-the-counter medications (benadryl and cough syrup) - and the combination was fatal. He was a junior at a local high school.
Ryan was, by all accounts, bright, athletic, and well-liked. He had a supportive network of devoted family and good friends. His father coached his baseball team and went with him to soccer events. However, by the time he was 16 he was addicted to prescription drugs.
At that age, he was enrolled in an inpatient rehabilitation program, where he spent 35 days. When he returned, his parents believed that the program had worked. Gradually, however, Ryan started using again. His parents were deliberating about what to do on the day they received the tragic news that Ryan was dead.
Ryan's father, Scott, has been speaking at local schools trying to educate young people about the dangers of using prescription and over-the-counter medications for recreational purposes. Ryan's mom, Charlene, commented, "Part of a parent's worst fear is losing your child ... And the second worst fear is people forgetting your child."
(Sources: www.nwcn.com)
Labels: drug overdose, prescription-drug-abuse
Virginia Teen Dies of Heroin Overdose, Got Drugs from Friend
Virginia teen, Alicia Lannes, died this week from a heroin overdose. Her family says that she obtained the drug from a boyfriend. The hard-core drug is making a resurgence in suburban areas and experts say that most kids are being introduced to heroin by friends and family members.
In a survey of local Fairfax County Schools, more than one in every 100 8th through 12th grader admitted to using heroin, and about half of those reported using it within the last 30 days. Lannes' father commented, "This drug has invaded our community, which we thought would never be in our community."
White House drug czar John Walters gave a message to parents about heroin use: The first time parents find out about it is probably not the first time the teen has used it. "Remember that when you find your child and they want to lie to you up and down and sideways," said Walters. "'It's the first time I've ever done it.' No, no, no, no. That's the drugs talking."
(Sources: www.myfoxdc.com)
Labels: drug overdose, teen-substance-abuse
Teen Died After Lethal Combination of Drugs and Alcohol
An Australian teenager begged friends to get her help, but they delayed 3 hours before calling an ambulance, even though she was "blue"and struggling to breath. She was dead before the ambulance arrived.
The teens were participating in a "pharm party" - these are parties where teens often toss any pills or drugs they have into a bowl. The teens then reach in and grab a bunch of the pills, often washing them down with alcohol. This highly dangerous game is popular among teens in the United States as well.
Now two years later, during an inquest into the teen's death, one teenager reported that he wanted to call an ambulance, but the other teens talked him out of it. They were afraid the police would become involved.
One youth claimed it was "not my party, not my house, not my call."
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Labels: addiction, drug overdose, drugs, pharm parties
