OUR JOURNEYPass Casey’s Law in New York State -

a law for involuntary treatment.

Help Parents Help Their Childrenhttps://www.facebook.com/CaseysLawNYS

MY BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL!“No parent holds their child in their arms and wants them to grow up to be addicted to drugs.” – Heidi Troche

“A BABY IS BORN WITH A NEED TO BE LOVED AND NEVER OUTGROWS IT.” – FRANK A. CLARK

“A DAUGHTER MAY OUTGROW YOUR LAP, BUT SHE WILL NEVER OUTGROW YOUR HEART.” - UNKNOWN

MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, 4 YEARS OLD!

“One smile can change the world.” - Unknown

“EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW... I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.” - ROBERT FULGHUM

“I HOPE YOU STILL FEEL SMALL WHEN YOU STAND BESIDE THE OCEAN…” – LEE ANN WOMACK

“I HAVE THE SAME GOAL I'VE HAD EVER SINCE I WAS A GIRL. I WANT TO RULE THE WORLD.” - MADONNA

MY DAUGHTER IN 4TH GRADE!

“Courage, determination, pride...that's what little girls are made of.” - Unknown

“AN OLDER SISTER IS A FRIEND AND DEFENDER — A LISTENER, CONSPIRATOR, A COUNSELOR AND A SHARER OF DELIGHTS. AND SORROWS TOO.” – PAM BROWN

THE AVERAGE AGE TEEN BOYS FIRST TRY ALCOHOL IS AGE 11, FOR TEEN GIRLS IT’S 13. – DOSOMETHING.ORG

SINCE 2007, ANNUAL, MONTHLY, AND DAILY MARIJUANA USE INCREASED AMONG 10TH AND 12TH GRADERS WHILE DAILY USE INCREASED AMONG 8TH GRADERS. – NIDA FOR TEENS

SINCE 1999, TEEN ABUSE OF CORICIDIN PILLS, ROBITUSSIN SYRUP AND OTHER COMMON MEDICATIONS HAS RISEN 10-FOLD, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS “ROBOTRIPPING” – CALIFORNIA POISON CONTROL SYSTEM

OVER 2.6 MILLION CHILDREN, AGED 12 – 17, USE AN INHALANT EACH YEAR TO GET HIGH, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS “WHIPPITS” & “DUSTER.” – NATIONAL INHALANT PREVENTION COALITION

TEDS REPORTED THAT THERE WERE 132,850 ADMISSIONS FOR ADOLESCENTS AGED 12 TO 17 TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAMS IN 2010. – SAMHSA.ORG

MY DAUGHTER & ME IN 2011!Every day in the US, 2,500 youth (12 to 17) abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time. – drugfreeworld.org

IN 2005, THE AVERAGE AGE FOR FIRST-TIME USE OF HEROIN WAS 22 YEARS OLD AMONG INDIVIDUALS AGES 12 TO 49. – SAMHSA.GOV

A study of the life expectancy of male heroin addicts in California found that heroin addicts typically lose a decade and a half to their addiction. – oatc.ca

IN 2010 THERE WERE 38,329 FATAL DRUG OVERDOSES IN THE UNITED STATES, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE 16,849 FATAL OVERDOSES OBSERVED IN 1999. - CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS INCLUDE RESTLESSNESS, ACHES AND PAINS IN THE BONES, DIARRHEA, VOMITING AND SEVERE DISCOMFORT. – FOUNDATION FOR A DRUG FREE WORLD

THE PREVALENCE OF SOFT TISSUE INFECTIONS (ABCESSES, CELLULITIDES, INFECTED ULCERS) AMONG INJECTION DRUG USERS (IDUS) IS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 21% AND 32%. – US NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

ACCORDING TO THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY, ADDICTION IS A CHRONIC DISEASE THAT CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY TREATED.  SOME PEOPLE CLAIM THAT THE CHANCES OF TREATMENT SUCCEEDING ARE VERY LOW, BUT IN ACTUAL FACT, RELAPSE RATES FOR DRUG-ADDICTED PATIENTS ARE ABOUT THE SAME FOR OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES. – BETTYFORDCENTER.ORG

IT DOESN’T MATTER IF IT’S VOLUNTARY OR INVOLUNTARY

HELP PASS CASEY’S LAW IN NYS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

The Matthew Casey Wethington Act for Substance Abuse Intervention is named for Matthew Casey Wethington, who died in 2002 from a heroin overdose at the age of 23.

The act provides a means of intervening with someone who is unable to recognize his or her need for treatment due to their impairment. This law will allow parents, relatives and/or friends to petition the court for treatment on behalf of the substance abuse-impaired person.

Denial and distorted thinking impedes a person’s ability to make a rational decision. The “bottom” for many is death. Addiction is a progressive, life-threatening disease. The best hope of survival for a person who is substance abuse impaired is intervention. Studies show that involuntary treatment can be just as successful as voluntary treatment.

Most individuals who are substance abuse-impaired receive court-ordered treatment only after they have become arrested for a crime while under the influence of a substance. Drugs and crime often go hand-in-hand because people who are substance abuse impaired are forced by their disease to resort to any means necessary to procure their drug.

Court-ordered treatment can be effective regardless of who initiates it. Not all people who are substance abuse impaired are arrested or, in the event that they are, may not receive the necessary treatment.

Casey’s Law was created for families like yours who love someone who with the help of an intervention tool can have the opportunity to recover from and survive the disease of drug and/or alcohol addiction.

http://operationunite.org/treatment/caseys-law/http://www.caseyslaw.org/https://www.facebook.com/CaseysLawNYS