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Teen drug, alcohol use 'nightmare' for parents
'The drug situation that's going on in our world is a sad thing. The families are affected by it. We tried so hard over several years to get Brandon out of that lifestyle.'
By Bob Campbell
Staff Writer
Drug addiction for youths does not usually end in death like it did for Brandon Moore, whose dealer is facing at least 20 years in prison now that she has been convicted of fatally selling him methadone.
But it is nonetheless a years-long nightmare for the parents, grandparents and other loved ones who experience the bizarre behavior, arrests, incarcerations and futile rehabilitation attempts.
Moore died at age 21 last April 23, after Tiofila "Toffie" Santillana provided him with methadone pills that, combined with cocaine, benzodiazepine, Xanax and alcohol, put him in a 13-day coma from which he could not recover.
His grandfather, James Owen of Odessa, testified in the U.S. District Court trial and said afterward the 6-foot-2-inch youth "was a sweet kid when he wasn't using drugs.
"We don't bear any ill well toward Toffie or Emily," said Owen, referring to 22-year-old Emily Suckarieh, who pleaded guilty to giving Moore Xanax and will get as many as four years on Feb. 5. Santillana will be sentenced March 31.
"We just want justice," Owen said. "The drug situation that's going on in our world is a sad thing. The families are affected by it. We tried so hard over several years to get Brandon out of that lifestyle.
"He had a normal life up until age 14. He was fun loving and loved to fish and hunt. He rode Motocross until he hurt his back. Then he got involved with some older boys who were into the drug scene and it was downhill from there."
Owen said Moore went through the 12-week Teen Challenge rehabilitation program here at 17, moved to San Marcos and was about to go to prison for theft when his family had an attorney get him into another Teen Challenge there. "He got a GED and had a little boy in Spring Branch and was supporting him," his grandfather said.
"Brandon came back to Midland and became involved with a woman who gave him a Lortab for his back. I was kind of surprised when he was hospitalized because he had always been pretty careful. He recognized it was dangerous, but once kids get into narcotics, it's so hard to get them out. It just possesses them."
Doing well working in attics for a local air conditioning and heating company, Moore panicked and left when required to undergo a random drug test; however, the company would have provided counseling and kept him on if he hadn't quit, Owen said.
Palmer Drug Abuse Program Counselor Frank Janousek said the nightmare has four stages -- experimentation, beginning to seek drugs for oneself rather than only using them when proffered by others, starting to use them obsessively and then full blown addiction, indiscriminately mixing narcotics and disregarding the negative physical and social consequences.
"It progresses faster with teens because their bodies haven't matured," Janousek said. "The human anatomy generally matures for males at 21 while the brain grows until 24-25. The mind changing chemicals kids put in their bodies have detrimental effects on the tissue."
He said young people tend to be less heedful because they readily bounce back from a night of dissipation. "They can't understand why mom and dad or the police are so upset," he said, adding rehabilitation "depends on the kid's willingness and what he wants to do.
"They say, 'I know what I'm doing!'" said Janousek. "The youngest alcoholic I have seen, having the shakes, was 19. I've heard of a 9-year-old marijuana smoker. Forty percent of all teens who start drinking before 15 will develop alcoholism or become problem drinkers.
"The drug toxins cause the euphoria. There's a potentiation factor with poly substance abuse where the effects are magnified. Instead of one plus one equals two, it's one plus one equals 10."
Bob Campbell can be reached at bob@mrt.com.
But it is nonetheless a years-long nightmare for the parents, grandparents and other loved ones who experience the bizarre behavior, arrests, incarcerations and futile rehabilitation attempts.
Moore died at age 21 last April 23, after Tiofila "Toffie" Santillana provided him with methadone pills that, combined with cocaine, benzodiazepine, Xanax and alcohol, put him in a 13-day coma from which he could not recover.
His grandfather, James Owen of Odessa, testified in the U.S. District Court trial and said afterward the 6-foot-2-inch youth "was a sweet kid when he wasn't using drugs.
"We don't bear any ill well toward Toffie or Emily," said Owen, referring to 22-year-old Emily Suckarieh, who pleaded guilty to giving Moore Xanax and will get as many as four years on Feb. 5. Santillana will be sentenced March 31.
"We just want justice," Owen said. "The drug situation that's going on in our world is a sad thing. The families are affected by it. We tried so hard over several years to get Brandon out of that lifestyle.
"He had a normal life up until age 14. He was fun loving and loved to fish and hunt. He rode Motocross until he hurt his back. Then he got involved with some older boys who were into the drug scene and it was downhill from there."
Owen said Moore went through the 12-week Teen Challenge rehabilitation program here at 17, moved to San Marcos and was about to go to prison for theft when his family had an attorney get him into another Teen Challenge there. "He got a GED and had a little boy in Spring Branch and was supporting him," his grandfather said.
"Brandon came back to Midland and became involved with a woman who gave him a Lortab for his back. I was kind of surprised when he was hospitalized because he had always been pretty careful. He recognized it was dangerous, but once kids get into narcotics, it's so hard to get them out. It just possesses them."
Doing well working in attics for a local air conditioning and heating company, Moore panicked and left when required to undergo a random drug test; however, the company would have provided counseling and kept him on if he hadn't quit, Owen said.
Palmer Drug Abuse Program Counselor Frank Janousek said the nightmare has four stages -- experimentation, beginning to seek drugs for oneself rather than only using them when proffered by others, starting to use them obsessively and then full blown addiction, indiscriminately mixing narcotics and disregarding the negative physical and social consequences.
"It progresses faster with teens because their bodies haven't matured," Janousek said. "The human anatomy generally matures for males at 21 while the brain grows until 24-25. The mind changing chemicals kids put in their bodies have detrimental effects on the tissue."
He said young people tend to be less heedful because they readily bounce back from a night of dissipation. "They can't understand why mom and dad or the police are so upset," he said, adding rehabilitation "depends on the kid's willingness and what he wants to do.
"They say, 'I know what I'm doing!'" said Janousek. "The youngest alcoholic I have seen, having the shakes, was 19. I've heard of a 9-year-old marijuana smoker. Forty percent of all teens who start drinking before 15 will develop alcoholism or become problem drinkers.
"The drug toxins cause the euphoria. There's a potentiation factor with poly substance abuse where the effects are magnified. Instead of one plus one equals two, it's one plus one equals 10."
Bob Campbell can be reached at bob@mrt.com.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of mywesttexas.com.
Jean wrote on Jan 11, 2009 1:06 PM:
" What happened to the woman who gave him the Lortab? Or does she just get to walk away? "
Melissa wrote on Jan 11, 2009 10:02 PM:
" Methadone is now the #2 killer drug in US, Methadone kills more people every year then heroin and only 2nd to cocaine.
Methadone kills when taken exactly as prescribed, when misused and when abused.
www.harmd.org
Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths "
Methadone kills when taken exactly as prescribed, when misused and when abused.
www.harmd.org
Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths "
james wrote on Jan 12, 2009 7:05 AM:
" ATTENTION ALL PARENTS WHO THINK THEIR KIDS ARE PERFECT...
Please talk to your kids when they are 10-11 years old. Drugs find a way in to every school, and CAN get to every kid. It takes only one time to get hooked or even killed...get an insurance policy to HELP you talk with you kids...knowdrugtest.com....it wortks!!!!!!
And it can not hurt.
xo "
Please talk to your kids when they are 10-11 years old. Drugs find a way in to every school, and CAN get to every kid. It takes only one time to get hooked or even killed...get an insurance policy to HELP you talk with you kids...knowdrugtest.com....it wortks!!!!!!
And it can not hurt.
xo "
LilOlMe wrote on Jan 12, 2009 10:30 AM:
" I would like to bring attention to the fact that drug addiction is not just a poor-people thing. Most white collar parents look the other way when it comes to the bad things their children are doing.
The fact of the matter is that anyone's child can become an addict. It is very important that you teach your child right from wrong as soon as possible. Shielding your children from the world's problems only guarantees that the child will not know how to protect him/herself when the tough gets going.
I also think it's time for Hollywood to stop glamorizing substance abuse! High school movies always have alcohol and drug use and make it look cool. I remember trying to be one of those cool kids, and I look at so many of my peers and they aren't where they should be in life, and neither am I. I spent too many years partying and now I'm playing catch up.
Parents: please keep a tight and honest relationship with your children. "
The fact of the matter is that anyone's child can become an addict. It is very important that you teach your child right from wrong as soon as possible. Shielding your children from the world's problems only guarantees that the child will not know how to protect him/herself when the tough gets going.
I also think it's time for Hollywood to stop glamorizing substance abuse! High school movies always have alcohol and drug use and make it look cool. I remember trying to be one of those cool kids, and I look at so many of my peers and they aren't where they should be in life, and neither am I. I spent too many years partying and now I'm playing catch up.
Parents: please keep a tight and honest relationship with your children. "
Pam wrote on Jan 14, 2009 7:45 AM:
" It is NOT just a matter of teaching 'right from wrong', these drugs need tighter control, these diversionists need to be jailed, and in the cases where death results those diversionist need jailed for life.
How unfair that ANYONE pay with their life for a single choice while the one aiding in that death goes free to kill again peddling the drugs.
My heart goes out to this family now devastated by these drugs. It can happen to ANY family, rich or poor. Yes education is necessary but it should also be priority one to get these drugs monitored more closely and imposing harsher penalties when diversion is suspected.
To lilolme~ I WAS one of those parents who kept a tight reign and had a very close relationship with my children. That did NOT stop the local methadone diversionist from killing my son.
angels4drugawareness.org
R.I.P MY SON~ "
How unfair that ANYONE pay with their life for a single choice while the one aiding in that death goes free to kill again peddling the drugs.
My heart goes out to this family now devastated by these drugs. It can happen to ANY family, rich or poor. Yes education is necessary but it should also be priority one to get these drugs monitored more closely and imposing harsher penalties when diversion is suspected.
To lilolme~ I WAS one of those parents who kept a tight reign and had a very close relationship with my children. That did NOT stop the local methadone diversionist from killing my son.
angels4drugawareness.org
R.I.P MY SON~ "
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Nancy wrote on Jan 11, 2009 9:21 AM:
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