Just because your child does well in school, plays sports and is an all-around ‘good kid,? doesn’t mean their lives can’t be touched by substance abuse.
That was the message several experts tried to get across in a K-12 Parent Forum held Jan. 19 at Lake Orion High School, on the subject of substance abuse awareness and the legal issues involved in it.
About 60 parents gathered to hear 52-3 District Court Judge Nancy Carniak, Oakland County prosecutor Michael Goetz, substance abuse therapist Lisa Pangrazzi and former LOHS student Brent Chiles, who is in recovery, speak.
The forum opened with a short film chronicling a high school girl’s experience overcoming substance and alcohol abuse. LOHS guidance counselor and substance abuse prevention advisor Michele Novak organized the evening, and said the forum is held every January.
She said that coming from Detroit, she found there was a drug problem even in a smaller community like Lake Orion.
‘LOHS does not have a drug problem…unfortunately, it’s a global issue,? she said. ‘I work closely with parents, and students caught (with drugs) inside and outside of school.?
Novak said one mistake a lot of parents make is, they don’t think they have to be concerned because their child is an honor student.
‘It can happen to anyone,? she said.
Carniak explained the judicial process for a young person who has been caught with drugs, possessing and consuming alcohol as a minor (MIP), retail fraud, and/or drunk driving.
She said the student will receive a ticket in the mail, and if they can’t afford an attorney, the court will appoint one for them.
‘Sometimes, even if it’s a crime where they don’t really need an attorney, we will appoint one anyway,? she said. ‘We want them to realize there are serious consequences for a serious crime.?
Bond is then sometimes set, or a personal bond that will be paid if the student does not appear in court. A pre-trial hearing is held, and the student pleads guilty or not guilty.
Carniak said some crimes can be kept off a student’s record, provided they are willing to ‘jump through the hoops.?
Substance abuse screening might be recommended, and Carniak said often a student will try to say the time they got caught was the first time they ever drank or used drugs.
‘When we screen these students, a lot of them have been drinking, and the start of consumption was 13, 14 or 15 years old,? she said. ‘People who drink earlier (in life) tend to have more substance abuse problems.?
The student is then sentenced, usually to a combination of probation, community service and fines. Carniak said parents who stand up in court at that time, and say their child didn’t do it, aren’t helping.
‘It’s important to be positive with your student,? she said. ‘And to know there are consequences, and we’re going to follow through with them.?
Carniak said the kids who come into her court are going to learn from the experience.
‘We don’t want the kids to be repeat offenders,? she said. ‘We don’t want them to be a revolving door. It starts with an MIP or drunk driving.?
However, she said if a kid wants to abuse drugs or alcohol, they will find a way.
‘However, there are a lot of good kids, I see in my court, who are good kids, but it was just there,? she said, adding that a lot of trouble starts when kids go to house parties where parents aren’t present.
‘Parents need to know they can be charged for hosting a party for minors,? she said. ‘Just be aware.?
Carniak said over nights are also another source of trouble.
‘When you’re 17, you probably don’t need sleepovers,? she said.
Goetz also addressed the problem from a legal standpoint, giving some examples of real-life cases he’s dealt with at the circuit court in Pontiac, involving drugs and alcohol.
‘I see time and again how drugs and alcohol affect people’s choices,? he said. ‘You get people who say, what’s the harm, the kid had a beer…that’s a victimless crime, right?
‘But where does the money go? It has victims, many victims.?
Goetz said the strongest weapon is the parents.
‘That is the strongest line of defense,? he said. ‘Seventy-five to 80 percent of the cases I see…parents aren’t present in the courtroom. Know where your kids are going, know who their friends are. Kids are crafty.?
Goetz said even juvenile offenses can come back to haunt someone, and that parents need to always have an active role.
‘That child has the rights and privileges you bestow upon them,? he said. ‘If you see something suspicious, don’t let it slide.?
Goetz noted that the entire auditorium at LOHS should be filled.
‘It’s not good enough,? he said. ‘We have to get the word out…But don’t ever give up. The kids are worth it.?
Pangrazzi, works at River’s Bend in Troy, with an adolescent treatment program.
‘Unfortunately there are a lot of parents and people in the community who are still in denial,? she said, adding that she had been working in substance abuse counseling for 11 years.
‘I don’t deal with prevention issues. The kids I deal with have crossed the line, they are chemically dependent,? she said. ‘The biggest challenge I see now are the over-the-counter drugs, like Robitussin, Corisidan, Unisom and Dramamine.?
Robitussin has a chemical in it, that when used in large quantities, creates a mild buzz and causes hallucinations, Pangrazzi said.
‘They drink one or two bottles,? she said. ‘It’s pretty dangerous, actually. Over-the-counters scare me because the kids seem to overdose quite a bit on them.?
Pangrazzi said when looking through your child’s bedroom, look for empty bottles or packages.
‘If you suspect they are using, privacy is out the door,? she added.
Besides over-the-counter drugs, Pangrazzi said marijuana is still very prevalent.
‘It’s much more potent today than it was in the 60’s and 70’s,? she said. ‘The thing about marijuana is, it binds to the fat cells. It stays in your system for a very long time.?
Pangrazzi said kids who are smoking every day will get a build up of THC in the brain, one of the places in the body with the highest concentration of fat cells.
‘The THC is literally clogging their brain,? she said, adding that sometimes that’s why kids who are using marijuana will be misdiagnosed because they are not paying attention in class.
Pangrazzi also gave several other symptoms of possible substance abuse: blackouts, can’t remember things; loss of control; increased tolerance; have faced legal consequences, yet continues to use; family is concerned, yet continues to use; problems at school, yet continues to use; and uses in the morning (commonly referred to as ‘wake and bake?).
Students who are in withdrawal may have issues such as irritability, vivid dreams, nausea, insomnia, and sweaty palms.
Former LOHS student Brent Chiles, who attended a recovery program at the Pathway Family Center in Southfield told his story, explaining that substance abuse can affect anyone, even middle and upper class kids.
‘I came from a middle class family, my parents aren’t divorced,? he said. ‘Prior to my drug use, I was an average student, and I was on the first varsity hockey team for the high school.
‘I was a pretty good guy,? Chiles said. ‘And I wasn’t trying to hang out with ‘the bad crowd.??
Chiles said he tried alcohol for the first time before his freshman year, and three years later found himself leaving school to get drunk.
‘The best source was, my parents had a liquor cabinet,? he said. ‘At first, I was against smoking marijuana, but I said I can drink.?
Chiles said he intentionally began hanging out with other kids that he knew would have access to alcohol and marijuana.
‘I’m not saying because kids meet new friends, that’s bad,? he said. ‘It was my intentions (that were bad), for meeting new friends.?
Chiles smoked marijuana and then Ecstacy.
‘I didn’t look at it as abusing drugs, I thought I was expanding my mind,? he said. ‘Then, in August of 2002, I got my first ticket.?
Chiles received a second ticket about seven months later, and a third in June of 2003, at a party.
‘I gave a false name to the police,? he said. ‘Then I said I would go to recovery, because I thought that would look good for court.?
Chiles said he ‘played the good guy,? and then got his fourth ticket before he was sentenced for his third.
‘I drank before school, and three hours later I blew a .132,? he said.
Chiles went to Pathway, and was in their in-patient rehabilitation program, unable to speak to anyone else for the first couple of months.
‘It’s the closest thing to lock down outside of (prison),? he said. ‘Then I went back to school…I didn’t officially complete the program (at Pathway), but it did help me. I did it for five months.?
Chiles also spent eight days in the Oakland County Jail over the spring break, as part of his sentencing.
‘But now I’m here, I help out Ms. Novak,? he said.
Gloria Smith, a Lake Orion parent, thanked Chiles for his coverage in speaking out.
‘You are a good guy,? she said. ‘You just made bad choices. All our kids are good kids, they just make bad choices.?