(((((Parents))))) (((((Helpus)))))
I'm so glad both your daughters are safe tonight and you can sleep easy. Please take that extra "me" time.
Parents, my theory on the cell phones and other forbidden gadgets is that it is ours kids' way of thinking they have some control over the situation. I think in general part of addiction is the thrill, the mental high of doing something daring. To let go of all of that is tough I guess. Let's hope that this is the last holdout before she is really ready to surrender and admit she is powerless over addiction.
I'll throw in a story in hopes it brings a smile. The last time Kristen was in rehab, she also managed to keep her cell phone somehow...hung onto it for almost the full month. There was one close encounter. She had a nightmare and woke early and called me from the bathroom in their apartment. (I figured out she had the cell then since it was so early, but I was starting to "get" that it was her deal, not mine to control) A housemate overheard her talking in there and told Kristen's counselor that she was worried about her because she heard her talking to herself. The counselor asked me on the next call if it was possible she had a cell and I told her yes, explained what happened. Somehow she never had the cell taken away. Fast forward to two days before she was being discharged. There's a knock on the apartment door and they say Kristen we know you have a cell, hand it over. Turns out she loaned the cell to another roommate to call her aunt. The aunt wasn't home, the girl left a message saying hi. The aunt heard the message, saw the caller id and an area code that was not Florida where the rehab was and called the rehab insisting that her niece ran away and was somewhere in NJ. Busted...It was one of those moments she shared where we laughed...I'm so glad I had enough recovery under my belt to enjoy the moment and share the laughter.
