Parents, Help Your Child Say No to Drugs

By Norman Leibrock

Books are like people, each one has its own story. My book is a story about teenagers with an addiction for drugs and the adverse effects these addictions have on their parents. My hope is that this book will present a picture of the many changes that can present themselves in the lives of young people and parents in their battle with mind-altering drugs. Many parents, unfortunately, are lost in the complexities of our everyday busy lives and their minds are clouded to the problems that are developing before them. Many of us are either oblivious to the problem of drugs or are too afraid to admit to ourselves that we do not know what to do if it happens in our families. Parents are sadly convinced that drug addiction can never happen to their children.

My wife, Jane, and I had to face that sudden realization that drugs were destroying the life of our son.

I believe that my book, when read in its entirety, will give you the guidance and insight to help all parents and their children to fight drug addiction and to render proper guidance to those already in the grip of mind-altering drugs.

This book will help to illuminate those hidden changes that drugs can bring into the lives of our children and teenagers, and with it the effects it will have on those around them.
I hope and pray that the sharing of this valuable information, along with my own experiences, will be a positive force in the thinking of our teenagers and their loving parents.

My fellow parents, it is of the utmost importance that no matter what happens and how tough it may get, remember there is no other way but up.

Wherever you are and whatever the problem, dont ever stop the fight against drug addiction.

I am aware that in the hard-nosed world we live in, there are a multitude of self-help books, and numerous concepts and scientific theories on how to successfully face your problems and bring about changes in your life. But I have written my book for this reason: that parents can be hopeful in a time of adversity, suffering from a family drug addiction problem. Let faith and understanding change your life around.

As parents, we often read about drugs and the effects they have upon our children. Invariably, our many conversations will drift to the topic of drug addiction and whether our children are in fact using drugs, and what we can do about it. I remember sitting with a group of parents discussing drugs.

Although we all agreed that the rapid introduction of mind-altering substances was a critical problem to our children, not everyone was in agreement what we should and could do about this problem if it affects our family. Some parents told us our family is very content since all our children are young, this problem doesnt pertain to us at this time. Some parents sat back and told me that their teenage children have never taken drugs. They never had to discuss drugs with their children because they knew they would never touch them.

A third group of parents were honest enough to admit that their teenage son was a drug addict for years and they didnt know it, and when they found out about it they didnt know what to do about it.

Parents, do these statements sound familiar? Perhaps something you have heard before but shrugged it off as something you would never have to worry about.

I realize that this is a sad scenario, but very true. Too many parents are not taking the time to talk to their children and establish a drug-free family when they are young and vulnerable.

The result has been too many young people becoming drug addicts. Some of them could have been prevented or helped at a young age.

That initial help must come from us as their parents. We must have a constant sense of awareness of this problem facing our children today.

Remember, parents, we cannot change the nature of the drug addict or his addiction, but we can help

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 7, 2002
• ISBN: 9781469109497

Norman Leibrock

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Book preview

Copyright © 2002 by Norman Leibrock.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright

owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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14634

Contents

DEDICATION

Message to Readers

Preface

How This Book Will Help You

With Faith and Understanding

CHAPTER ONE

Facing the Problem

CHAPTER TWO

No Other Way But Up

CHAPTER THREE

Being Aware of the Problem

CHAPTER FOUR

Reach Out, There Is Help!

About the author

DEDICATION

My book is dedicated to all our drug-free children and the parents who give their love and guidance.

Also to all our children and young people who knew they shouldn’t have done it, and to the faith and love of all parents who try so hard to stop it.

In dedicating this book, I welcome all parents everywhere to read my book. It is with heartfelt love and understanding that I wanted to reach every family I could. If you will, I want you to feel as if I am sitting before you and talking about our children and drugs. Together as parents we can make this a safer, drug-free world for our children to live in by establishing a drug-free family.

With sincere dedication, I present my book to many of our parents who are either oblivious to the problem of drugs or are too afraid to admit to themselves that they do not know what to do if it happens in their families.

Message to Readers

Books are like people, each one has its own story. My book is a story about teenagers with an addiction for drugs and the adverse effects these addictions have on their parents. My hope is that this book will present a picture of the many changes that can present themselves in the lives of young people and parents in their battle with mind-altering drugs. Many parents, unfortunately, are lost in the complexities of our everyday busy lives and their minds are clouded to the problems that are developing before them. Many of us are either oblivious to the problem of drugs or are too afraid to admit to ourselves that we do not know what to do if it happens in our families. Parents are sadly convinced that drug addiction can never happen to their children.

My wife, Jane, and I had to face that sudden realization that drugs were destroying the life of our son.

I believe that my book, when read in its entirety, will give you the guidance and insight to help all parents and their children to fight drug addiction and to render proper guidance to those already in the grip of mind-altering drugs.

This book will help to illuminate those hidden changes that drugs can bring into the lives of our children and teenagers, and with it the effects it will have on those around them.

I hope and pray that the sharing of this valuable information, along with my own experiences, will be a positive force in the thinking of our teenagers and their loving parents.

My fellow parents, it is of the utmost importance that no matter what happens and how tough it may get, remember there is no other way but up.

Wherever you are and whatever the problem, don’t ever stop the fight against drug addiction.

I am aware that in the hard-nosed world we live in, there are a multitude of self-help books, and numerous concepts and scientific theories on how to successfully face your problems and bring about changes in your life. But I have written my book for this reason: that parents can be hopeful in a time of adversity, suffering from a family drug addiction problem. Let faith and understanding change your life around.

As parents, we often read about drugs and the effects they have upon our children. Invariably, our many conversations will drift to the topic of drug addiction and whether our children are in fact using drugs, and what we can do about it. I remember sitting with a group of parents discussing drugs.

Although we all agreed that the rapid introduction of mind-altering substances was a critical problem to our children, not everyone was in agreement what we should and could do about this problem if it affects our family. Some parents told us our family is very content since all our children are young, this problem doesn’t pertain to us at this time. Some parents sat back and told me that their teenage children have never taken drugs. They never had to discuss drugs with their children because they knew they would never touch them.

A third group of parents were honest enough to admit that their teenage son was a drug addict for years and they didn’t know it, and when they found out about it they didn’t know what to do about it.

Parents, do these statements sound familiar? Perhaps something you have heard before but shrugged it off as something you would never have to worry about.

I realize that this is a sad scenario, but very true. Too many parents are not taking the time to talk to their children and establish a drug-free family when they are young and vulnerable.

The result has been too many young people becoming drug addicts. Some of them could have been prevented or helped at a young age.

That initial help must come from us as their parents. We must have a constant sense of awareness of this problem facing our children today.

Remember, parents, we cannot change the nature of the drug addict or his addiction, but we can help to change the old lie, Once an addict, always an addict, by striving to make a recovery and rehabilitation program available to our children. Simply stated, an addict is a man, woman or child whose life is affected by the use of mind-altering drugs.

We as parents are the catalysts that must enter their lives, their world of addiction, and lead them back to the world where they once had the ability to deal with life on life’s terms.

There is no other way but up!

You have heard the phrase, Life is just a bowl of cherries. I’m sure we all seek out those perfect years, that time in our life when we have dreams of owning a home, establishing a decent bank account and a beautiful family. Life seems altogether too perfect.

Some of us, as parents, spend so much time trying to make ends meet that we fail to meet the real needs of our families: love, communication, and togetherness.

We cherish the material things of life so much that we fail to recognize the other needs of our children. Status symbols and pressures dictate our way of life. We become so busy building our little empire, our castle in the suburbs, and our pie in the sky that we fail to see the most important things in our lives, the future of our children and the guidance and love we need to develop that future. I must say we do a wonderful job. Everyone has everything they want.

I recall the time I was working at the nuclear plant in

Westchester. The job was great, the money and overtime was a dream. I would work sixteen hours a day making all kinds of money. I wouldn’t be home for two or three weeks at a time. My children would ask Jane, my wife, Where is Daddy? I missed my son’s Little League games and my daughter’s school plays. These are the events that mean more to them. I was certainly not the typical role model of a twentieth-century father. Through the years, I found that the material gifts of man’s devotion and dedication to his working world take their toll upon his life and his family. Unfortunately, I chose the secular world over the spiritual world. I should have enjoyed the best of both worlds.

I would feel the happiest and the most satisfied if I was earning a thousand dollars a week, rather than enjoying as parents, the love and closeness of our family. I spoke before about the parents who both worked twelve hours a day, but never really knew their teenage children. They had high-paying jobs that demanded most of their day. They each had their own car. They would eat in all the best restaurants and when they did go home, there was very little in the house for them or their children. You see, money bought everything. Love, caring, cars, food, togetherness and family sharing. Everybody was happy and content because they had everything they needed in life, everything money could buy.

The key thought here is the lack of control of their teenage children, which had been going on for years. In essence what happened was that the parents gave their children to the world so they could survive and buy anything they needed because, indirectly, their parents would pay for it. The parents put the responsibility of choosing right from wrong on their children, which allowed them to wander into any adverse situation, such as drug addiction.

Does this scenario sound familiar? Have you seen it in your lifetime or perhaps heard about it from a neighbor or friend? It’s a fact and it exists in thousands of families, under many circumstances.

With the lack of love and caring from their parents, most teenagers and young people begin to develop feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. Many teenage addicts are predisposed to addiction. They are usually scholastically bright and well-adjusted young people who have the twisted thinking that they can stay up twenty-four hours a day, by burning the candle at both ends. Their first experience with speed lends a feeling of conquering the world.

With the continuous feeling of having to prove something to themselves and the world, they find a nightmare of compulsive achievements where time means nothing, coupled with large quantities of drugs. This is a deadly cycle.

Parents, setting our priorities for our children when they’re young must be the building blocks for the rest of their lives if they are going to be free from the temptations of drug addiction.

Every parent dreams of having an aspiring young son or daughter who can excel in sports or the arts. We all like to sit back with great pride at our children’s activities and say, that’s my child out there. Pride in our children and their accomplishments is a great feeling, but pride can cloud a parent’s mind very quickly. It did for me and I was very sorry. Parents, let me explain.

In the beginning of my son’s sports career, I watched as he won one wrestling championship after another, one baseball game after another. It was a great feeling, because winning was fun. Let’s face it, most of us are intrigued by the power that winning presents. Our desire as parents is to give our children the best at any cost to make success in their activities that much easier. Who knows how far they will go under tremendous pressure?

The sky is the limit. Each week we could hardly wait for the weekend to come, so we could all get up at five or six o’clock in the morning, pack the whole family into the car, and drive for two hours to reach a sporting event. My sons would then wrestle in the championship bout for their weight class at five p.m. The only trouble was by that time we were all tired, hungry and had a two-hour drive to go back home. But we loved it! All for the love of winning. Get real!

As parents, we all love and adore our children. God bless them! We will do anything we can for our children. However, this flourishing of all of life’s goodness upon them clouds our thinking over a period of time. Unless we are steadfast in our judgement and maintain an intelligent discernment of life’s process, our virtues gradually begin to slip away.

I can remember being at one sporting event and while I was there I would be signing my sons up for two or three upcoming events. I was not considering my family and our moral and spiritual responsibilities. I was failing to build a solid family foundation. I was not planting the roots of a solid family life.

After all, children are not casual guests in our house. Children are our flesh and blood, to love and constantly instill a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built.

Don’t think for one moment that as parents we can just turn off these feelings. The temptation is great, the drive is forceful