Litehorse,
There is a lot of wisdom in the words of those who posted before me. At 23 my son who will be getting out of jail in 3-4 more weeks, will have been clean for 10 months the longest in 6 years. I can't help feel that he would have never turned himself in on his violation of probation, because he kept saying that he was saving money to bail himself out for over a year. He will always have a record and will have great difficulty finding a job, especially with the economy. I wrote a letter to him and told him that if this was the only time in his life that he was going to be clean, than I hoped that the judge would give him the 5 years he was originally looking at. Yes we mourn the possibility of what our children could have become, done, etc., but at least they are alive. As Ann said, maybe someone will reach him.
I am experiencing some anxiety, wondering what will happen when my son gets out. He claims that he is done with the drugs and the lifestyle, but I can't help feel that it is jailhouse remorse speaking. He has admitted to me that if he continued/continues to use, he will die.
While my son has been in jail, I have experienced a serenity in my life that I have not felt in a long time. Knowing that he is safe and being cared for. He is in a drug counseling program, while in jail and his counselor tells me that he is doing well. I pray that he is able to continue to make progress when he gets out.
May God bless you and your family.
M.