Our Son’s Battle With Drug Abuse and Mental Illness – Part 2

EJ found out the hard way that when the court orders you into a program, you obey the court or suffer the consequences.

In his early 20's, EJ had been ordered by the court to attend weekly classes. I forget what they were about, but I'm thinking it had something to do with drugs. He attended two or three classes and then missed a couple, thinking it was no biggie. At his next court appearance, the judge asked him if he had done what the court had demanded and attended all of the required classes? He told the truth and said to the judge he had missed a couple. The judge looked directly at him and said:

When the court orders you to complete a program, that means you complete the program. I have no choice but to remand you to the Bridgeport Correctional Facility for 7 days beginning immediately.

That day was one of the worst days of our lives as we witnessed a police officer handcuff our son as they took him away. One thing he did learn is that he never ever wanted to go back to prison again! Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness that typically affects women more than men by a 80% to 20% ratio. It's fair to say that men who are afflicted with BPD usually end up in prison for drugs or they don't make it at all. Through his 20's, the pot and pills continued until, for whatever reason, he tried heroin and became instantly addicted. This was the tipping point when Mindy and I thought we might lose him to this horrible drug and the "what if" was incomprehensible.

To shorten up a very long story, thank God EJ eventually checked himself into rehab and decided to enroll in an outpatient methadone program in Danbury to kick his habit. Mindy and I had nothing to do with influencing his decision for treatment, although we would like to think that not kicking him out to live on the streets and believing in him influenced his ultimate decision. It was all him, BUT for treatment to be successful, you have to want it. You have to make that commitment TO CHANGE. Simple as that, but the hardest to do.

In my final blog about EJ and the challenges he faced, I'll tell you how he turned his life around. There is no magic formula for dealing with drug abuse and/or mental illness but it can be done and I will tell you how EJ did it. Here's the link to Part 1 if you'd like to follow along.

Listen to Ethan Carey on the Ethan & Lou Show weekdays from 5:30-10AM on 95.1 FM. You can listen online at i95rock.com/listen-live/ or by downloading the radioPup app for your mobile device.