by Glenn Wohltmann Pleasanton Weekly Staff Photos

The members of the Mothers with a Purpose have been honored by Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley for their work in fighting prescription drug abuse. They were among several individuals and groups named "Nancy's Heroes" at the O'Malley awards banquet, a fundraiser held last Thursday night at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Mothers cofounders Kelly and Donna accepted the honor on behalf of the group. They asked that their last names not be used so potential members will be assured that they'll have anonymity. "These are two incredible women, and actually, they're the leaders of a whole group of women, many of whom are here tonight," O'Malley told the crowd of about 150. O'Malley gave a brief history of how Donna and Kelly, who'd known each other before, met up again after their sons "had become victims of prescription drug abuse." "They become 'victims' of dirty doctors who over prescribe prescription drugs, and the result is that children become addicted, and then they spend their lives in recovery trying to be able to beat that addiction," O'Malley said. "What Kelly and Donna did, once they realized they had a similar situation -- they turned that around and made it a cause," O'Malley continued. "Since they've gotten together, they've brought together more than a hundred mothers and some dads, who are suffering or are looking at the same issues within their own family." The district attorney commended the two for the courage they showed in talking openly about their problem. "Kelly and Donna spoke out about the suffering their children have gone through and their families have gone through as the result of addiction and prescription drug abuse," O'Malley told the crowd. She said she learned about prescription drug abuse from the Livermore police and made combating it one of the goals of the District Attorney's Office, through education and by prosecuting "dirty doctors." "I'm proud to say that we have, now, five cases pending against doctors that we are alleging have over prescribed prescription medicine," O'Malley said. She said Mothers with a Purpose is making a difference in the community, and that Dona and Kelly are leading "an incredible group of women." "They've made it OK to talk about things we don't usually talk about," O'Malley said.

By  Glenn Wohltmann

Teen drug abuse is rampant say cops, counselors
Some students estimate half of middle-schoolers smoke marijuana

 It could happen to your child and your family.

 That was the message Tuesday morning at a Hart Middle School meeting to discuss drug abuse by students. Parents and teachers seemed shocked at what some Hart Middle School students said.

 Students interviewed by counselor Tammy Schoonover estimated 25% drink alcohol and 50% smoke marijuana.

 "I do see a lot of kids that are moving in that direction and it really saddens me," Schoonover said.

 The estimate of the prevalence of drug and alcohol use prompted one woman in the audience to whisper, "Oh my God."

 Principal Terry Conde reminded the group to "keep in mind that these answers are from our kids."

 Schoonover told the group of 40 or so -- mostly teachers -- that students said kids use code words so their parents don't know what they're talking about, and often use Facebook to communicate their plans. She said the students told her that frequently parents don't have their child's Facebook password and aren't "friended" by their children on the popular social network.

 Officer Ryan Tujague, part of the Police Department's Special Enforcement Unit, said marijuana and alcohol abuse is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to drug use by teens in Pleasanton. He pointed toward a recent nationwide study that put use of the prescription narcotic OxyContin and its generic counterpart Oxycodone by teens at more than 41%, with marijuana use at just over 20%.

 Tujague said students crush OxyContin pills and snort the powder, use aluminum foil to heat it and inhale the vapors, or melt it down and inject it. He explained that those ways ingest the entire contents at once, as opposed to taking a pill. Tujague confirmed in a separate conversation that one student at Pleasanton Middle school had recently been busted with the drug.

 He said he knew little about Oxycodone when he started with the special unit, which focuses on drugs, gangs and prostitution.

 "It was a baptism by fire. I had no idea about this," Tujague said, adding those involved are often "not your typical kids that you would think of as addicts."

 He said teens involved with Oxycodone, which he described as "drugstore heroin," can be straight-A students, athletes or cheerleaders.

 Tujague said use of the narcotic is often a straight path to harder drugs, especially now that the manufacturer of Oxycontin has reformulated it to make it uncrushable and to turn to gel when mixed with water, making it impossible to shoot and difficult to snort.

 "We do have heroin in our city because of OxyContin," he told the crowd. He said some young people have turned to heroin because it's less expensive -- $50 for a gram, which can last for multiple highs versus $140 for an Oxycodone pill -- despite knowing that heroin can be cut with things like shoe polish or even rat poison, and added that drug use is often linked to crime, such as a recent string of burglaries, with addicts pawning items to buy drugs.

 Five women who are part of the recently formed group Mothers with a Purpose confirmed what Tujague said. The women, identified only by their first names, shared their stories of coming to grips with the addiction of a child.

 One mother told about her child who became addicted while attending Foothill High School. She said he first used OxyContin, then moved to heroin; she said she was unaware until she received a call from another parent.

 "Needless to say, I was totally shocked. Little did I know that my journey had just begun," she told the crowd. "This is a journey we're going to be on for the rest of our lives.

 "I thought I'd never see him again," she said, adding that she finally got the call she hoped for: "Mom, I need help. Please help me. I'm done."

 That led to an up-and-down journey, with her son finally hitting bottom and taking the first steps toward recovery.

 Another mother told about her son, "a popular athletic boy who liked everybody and everybody liked him," who turned to OxyContin use and began associating with unfamiliar people.

 "I felt like a prisoner in my own home," she said, breaking into tears.

 Her son is now in recovery, and she offered some simple advice for others who have a son or daughter they are concerned about: Limit the amount of cash that children have access to. Monitor calls.  "Lock up your prescription drugs, including cough syrup, she said. "Don't think it can't happen to you."

 Cough syrup, according to Tujague, is often readily accessible for kids who can get several bottles and drink them at once or mix them with fruit-flavored drinks for a cheap high.

 Heather Mackey, a teen counselor with Axis Community Health, said she sees some general trends. She said middle school students generally use marijuana, but the time they get to high school, they use it "all day every day," graduating to harder drugs, including Oxycodone and ecstasy, a hallucinogen.

 Mackey said Pleasanton teens often start later and some go right to pills, which can be much harder to kick.

 Another mother, whose son is also a recovering drug addict, said, "I would have sat in a meeting like his and said 'Not my kid' -- but it was my kid."

 "Addiction is not a choice, it's a disease," she added. "It can and will happen to the most perfect family."

News - Friday, June 3, 2011

'Mothers' step up to fight teen drug abuse
Meetings, website help connect parents of addicts

by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

If you know a teen has a drug problem, tell the parents. That's one message from Mothers with a Purpose.

 "You have to speak up to save someone's life," said one of the founders.

 She recalled a parent she knew slightly calling a few years ago to tell her about her child who was away at college, saying: "Your child is using drugs uncontrollably."

 "At first I was livid," she recalled. But the dad went to the college, bought an over-the-counter drug test and confronted their child.

 This was the beginning of their journey, dealing with their offspring's addiction to pain reliever OxyContin and heroin, and the child's recovery-fall-recovery-fall cycle until reaching bottom, truly recognizing the addiction and the need to fight it every hour of every day.

 The mom meanwhile spotted another mom she'd known through their children's school years, going through the same hell. They began to share their plight and together discovered the drug problem that exists in Pleasanton, the Bay Area and the entire country.

 At first they grabbed a handful of moms they knew were dealing with similar problems and said, "We need to talk. We have something in common," and held meetings in their homes, starting Mothers with a Purpose. When an article about the group appeared in the Weekly in January, things "went crazy," she recalled.

 They found great support with the schools and police, and Foothill High loans them a room for a meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of each month.

 "Our child's got a disease they're going to have the rest of their life, and we're here for support," one mother said.

 "My child was bullied and had self-esteem issues," she explained. "These kids try to escape these sad feelings."

 Taking drugs makes them feel wanted and accepted, but many have the gene to become addicted. It's not just the "stoners" or kids who appear to embrace the drug culture, they emphasized. It can be a jock, an honor student, a band member -- anyone.

 "We knew nothing until we started this group and we'll never know it all," said one of the founders. "People need to understand it's a disease and nothing to be embarrassed about. It's like diabetes or cancer."

 Although their young adult children have moved out of the community and are currently pursuing productive lives, the two mothers say they are in touch every day and dread the phone call that tells them something bad has happened.

 "It's not only the kids who go through the 12-step program, it's us, too, working through the program," explained one. "I believe in what we're doing, and I'm trying to show my child that if you believe in something, you can do it."

 For more information, go to www.motherswithapurpose.org.

Link: http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/story.php?story_id=7737

News - Friday, January 7, 2011

Mothers form group to deal with drug addicted children
Each member has young adult dealing with substance abuse

by Jeb Bing

Mothers with a Purpose, a newly formed support group, has been organized in Pleasanton to deal with deal with drug addicted children.

In a statement, the organization said: it believes that drug and alcohol abuse are an epidemic problem in Pleasanton and that, "as the mothers of drug addicted children, we are stepping up the fight against teen drug and alcohol abuse."

Each member in the group has a young adult child addicted to alcohol and/or drugs, some in recovery and some not. Its members feel that because most of the community's drug and alcohol programs are centered on prevention that there is significant lack of information and direction for families once they discover and admit that their child is using and abusing drugs and/or alcohol.

Mothers with a Purpose is striving to fill that void in two ways. Its mission is to raise the community's awareness of the severity and prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse among youths and it seeks to provide timely help, education and support to families of suspected and confirmed drug abusers.

"By making more people aware of this epidemic, we ultimately hope to see a decrease in use, abuse, and addiction to drugs and alcohol in our community," the organization stated.

Organization representatives said that just this year, several young adults raised in Pleasanton died of drug and/or alcohol related abuse. They said that thousands here are addicted to alcohol and/or life threatening drugs including prescription pain killers (oxycotin) methamphetamine, ecstasy, and heroin. Abuse of over-the-counter drugs is a growing and significant problem, as well.

"Sadly, abuse continues to grow unabated because, while our youth are under tremendous pressure to both take risks and achieve, many school personnel and parents have the tendency to 'look the other way," the representatives said. "Mothers with a Purpose feels that by asking the community to join together to keep an eye on our youth and to stay out of denial, our focused efforts can make a difference."

The organization said it is dedicating its effort to the memory of Kelin Jacobsen, whose mother is a member of the group.

"Education is essential in the battle against drug abuse and Mothers with a Purpose hopes to substantially increase the awareness of and education about drug abuse," the organization representatives said. "Clearly, the drug education program taught in our schools fails the majority of our youth, as it fails to educate both students and their families about addiction. The overly simplistic message of 'Just say no!' does not resonate with most young adults. Parents, teachers, administrators, coaches and health care professionals need to understand addiction and be adept at identifying the symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse. Most importantly, they must be willing to step up and speak out when they suspect abuse."

For more information about the organization and its meeting schedule, email: Motherswithapurpose@yahoo.com.

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