Aug 10, 2013 6 min read

Jane Brown watched helplessly as her 17-year-old daughter went from an honors student to a heroin junkie shooting up in the back seat of an abandoned car near their Mon Valley home.

It started with prescription pills about a year ago and Brown didn’t notice much of a change.

But after the pills were gone, her daughter and friends turned to heroin, a cheaper alternative that has spread from being just an urban drug into seemingly every neighborhood.

“You won’t believe how many kids,” Brown said. “They act like it’s nothing doing drugs. Then it’s too late. (Heroin) is just so available.”

Brown, a pseudonym for the woman who asked for anonymity in order to share her story, watched as her daughter pulled away from the family during the last year. The teen even threw a tantrum while on their way to a summer vacation spot just so the family would turn the car around and she could keep doing smack with friends in town.

The girl would run away for days without telling anyone where she was going. And when she was in the house, she would fight with Brown and other family members who tried to talk sense into her.

Brown felt helpless.

It wasn’t until mid-June when Brown and her husband caught their daughter shooting heroin with her boyfriend in the back seat of an abandoned car that they found an answer. Police took the girl into custody and the family took her to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. They later admitted her into rehabilation at an Allegheny County facility, but her stay would be only temporary without a court mandate.

After exhausting all options and with time running out, Brown stumbled upon the state’s little-known Act 53 mandate that allowed her to force her daughter into a 60-day treatment program.

“She was going to die if I didn’t get her help,” Brown said.

At one time, heroin was considered an urban street drug. Now, it’s becoming the drug of choice for young people in suburban neighborhoods and even rural areas, local officials say.

Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone remembers seeing one drug overdose while working a paramedic 20 years ago. Now, they’re happening on nearly a weekly basis in the county.

In 1992, there were only two overdose deaths in the county, according to the coroner’s records. That number began ramping up in the early 2000s and peaked in 2011 with 46 overdose deaths, nearly doubling the number of traffic fatalities that same year.

Vittone sees the same story that Brown experienced playing out with other families. The costly prescription drugs found in the medicine cabinet quickly vanish, forcing kids to turn to a cheaper alternative.

“It’s really scary because it’s the perfect storm,” Vittone said. “You have the pharmaceutical industry trying to sell (pills), doctors are trying to limit discomfort, the health care industry is trying to get a price break (with large quantities) and then the kids get it in the medicine cabinet.”

Cheryl Andrews, executive director of the Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission, said the age of new users is getting younger. According to a sample survey of county residents, the average age of first-time drug or alcohol use is now 12.

“They don’t know what they’re taking and don’t understand what the consequences could be,” Andrews said. “Then they’re hooked. They don’t think they’ll become junkies, but they’re addicted. It’s heart-wrenching to watch a family go through this.”

There are now indications that some teens in this areas are holding “pharm parties” in which they grab prescription pills from their medicine cabinets, dump them in a bowl and everyone in attendance dips in.

“Instead of drinking, they’re actually grabbing a handful of pills and swallowing then and sharing the experience they go through,” Andrews said. “Some kids are becoming very, very sick.”

Andrews said parents should look out for strange behavior from their children that goes beyond typical teenage angst. She said changing a group of friends, falling grades and mood swings can be key indicators to drug use. She advises parents to go through their child’s backpack or cellphone if they suspect problems.

“Sometimes those are hard boundaries that parents don’t feel like they can cross,” she said. “But that’s their child and their responsibility.”

But some parents aren’t sure what to do and feel like the law limits their abilities to mandate treatment. That’s why Brown thinks that Act 53, the state Drug and Alcohol Abuse Control Act, is saving her daughter’s life.

Most parents don’t know the power they have in getting help for their children.

Brown investigated every legal option available before coming upon Act 53, a 1997 state law that parents in any county can use to force their minor children into drug and alcohol treatment. Brown filled out the necessary paperwork with Washington County Judge Katherine Emery’s office and a subsequent hearing in juvenile court determined the teen must go through 60 days of rehabilitation.

Andrews, whose organization helps raise awareness in the schools and for families on government subsidies, said Washington County is “truly a great place for recovery” with many options for addicts. She added that Act 53 can save and improve many lives if more parents knew about it.

“I think this is one of the best kept secrets to mandating adolescents into treatment,” Andrews said.

That’s how Brown feels as her daughter is entering the final days of her rehab stay. But even when Brown’s daughter is back home, the pathway to recovery will still be difficult and is not certain.

“They’ve told me it’s going to be a long road, even though she’s improving every day,” Brown said.

Brown and her family have already moved from their Mon Valley home to change environments. She is now hoping her teenage daughter will return to high school this fall after rehab and have a second chance at life.

“She’s doing really excellent now,” Brown said. “I’m really proud of her. She’s back to being my daughter.”

For more information about the Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission, go to www.wdacinc.org or call 724-223-1181.