When you first discover that your child has developed a drug abuse problem, you're bound to feel a wide range of emotions – disbelief, anger, despair and even guilt. You may find yourself asking how, as a parent, did you not have seen the signs? Was there some way that you could have prevented this from happening?
If you have felt this way, you're far from alone. Recently, famed singer Jon Bon Jovi opened up about his daughter's heroin addiction with journalist Katie Couric, and explained that he had been entirely oblivious about her abuse until her widely publicized overdose last year.
In November 2012, Stephanie Bongiovi, a 19-year-old student at Hamilton College in New York, was rushed to a local hospital after suffering a heroin overdose in her dorm room. When Bon Jovi received a call about the incident, he said it was "a wake up call," and that he'd had no idea – either about Stephanie's habit or the prevalence of such abuse.
The problem is much more prevalent than I knew, he said, adding that, since his daughter's hospitalization, "I cannot get over how many people I've met that said that my son or my daughter […] people I love, admire and respect. It happens to all kinds of families."
As Jon Bon Jovi stated, addiction is not isolated to any age group or social class – it is a disease that affects individuals from all walks of life. If your child has developed a substance abuse problem, keep in mind that their addiction has driven them to do all they can to conceal their habit from you. At Intervention Services, we can help you address your son or daughter's drug abuse problem head on and provide ongoing support throughout the recovery process.