May 16, 2008 05:02 am Q: Our son passed away at 41 years old. Though he did not die from drugs, he did experiment with them..He left a baby daughter 16 months old. She is now 16 years old. All through the years my husband and I have helped raise her while her mother works, as she has never remarried. Our granddaughter has been respectful, earned good grades, played basketball and soccer, gone to Sunday school, sang in the church choir — until she got to high school. Now in 10th grade, she has all the symptoms of a drug addict. Her personality has changed, she has mood swings, she's disrespectful, lies, steals, has lost interest in school, and will fail this year. She may even quit school. She no longer plays any sport..She is more interested in clothes and "hanging out." She makes good money at a part-time job and spends it like water.. We know she started smoking cigarettes and pot and drinks beer..She has stolen two checkbooks from her mother, plus a credit card she used in a foreign country on the Internet. She leaves the house in the middle of the night, then refuses to answer her cell phone. The only ones in the family who know about this are my daughter and me..We have talked to her about the choices she is making and that what she is doing is illegal. My daughter-in-law gets no help from the school. It's killing her; she is so stressed out and having to go to work every day. Since our son used drugs, could her tendency toward drug use be inherited?.We need help and advice as to what we can do for her, but we don't know where to turn..We are desperate to save her..Can you help us? A: I am so sorry to hear about this painful situation. First in regards to your question about whether her drug use could be inherited:.Drug use disorders do have a genetic, inherited component, and children of parents who struggled with drugs have a higher incidence of developing drug problems..However, many other factors play a role and need to be present for a drug problem to occur. You stated that your son experimented and.used drugs, so I suspect that he did not have a problem. I also do not know if drug problems.run in your family..If they do, she is at a higher risk. Regardless of this possibility, more important is what to do now, as it sounds as if she is out of control and you are at a loss about how to manage the situation..And based upon what.you wrote, while drug use sounds as though it is an issue for her, it is possible that there are other things contributing to her difficulties, too. This could be ascertained only by an outside professional who could evaluate her.. From what you wrote, it appears that you have tried talking with her without success. Another step you can take is to go to the Juvenile Court and file a Child in Need of Services (CHINS). A parent or legal guardian who files the.CHINS must show the judge that the child who.is under age 17.regularly runs away from home or does not follow the rules of the home..The case may be heard before the judge, or in less serious cases,.the parent and child will.meet with a probation officer to.develop a CHINS agreement or contract. Essentially, in a CHINS, the court provides assistance to help bring control to the.out-of-control situation..Typical CHINS agreements include conditions like attending school daily without incident, coming home by a set curfew, attending counseling, treating family members and other people with respect, and remaining drug and alcohol free..The situation will also continue to be monitored through the court. I hope this information is helpful..If I can be of further help, please contact me again.. nnn Send questions about addictions or related problems to: Take The First Step, c/o The Gloucester Times, Whittemore Street, Gloucester, MA 01930; or send e-mail to michael_levy@cabhealth.org. Questions will be answered in confidence by a clinical team led by Dr. Michael Levy, director of clinical treatment services at CAB Health & Recovery Services in Peabody and author of "Take Control of Your Drinking...and You May Not Need to Quit."
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