Nov. 28, 2007
The Road Back From Addiction
How One Family Struggled To Knock Out Their Son’s $300-A-Day Prescription Abuse
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Play CBS Video Video Breaking Addiction's Grip Non-medical use of prescription drugs by young adults is on the rise. For the victims and their families, the road back from addiction can be long and hard. Katie Couric reports.
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At one point, Mark McCarthy was taking about nine OxyContin pills a day. Now he's gone through a third stint in rehab with great determination — and support from his parents. (CBS)
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Interactive Substance Abuse In America Get the facts on a national problem. Find out where to get help, learn how drugs affect the body and compare state drunk-driving laws.
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Interactive HealthWatch Explore health issues including AIDS, cancer and antibiotics.
“I'm outta here,” he said.
For his mother, Florence, and father, Bob, it's a special trip. But it's also one they wish they didn't have to make, CBS News anchor Katie Couric reports.
“Tomorrow we're taking Mark to rehab,” Florence McCarthy said.
This is the new face of America's drug crisis.
“[We’re] middle-class as it comes. God-fearing people. And you know, we raised our kids right,” said Bob McCarthy.
“Oh yeah, we loved him,” Florence said.
But none of that love could save Mark, when five years ago he began his affair with the narcotic pain reliever OxyContin.
“I went from taking one, maybe two a day - until I was taking maybe nine a day,” Mark said.
In a matter of months, Mark was feeding a $300-a-day addiction, and the McCarthy family had descended into chaos.
“I wanted to murder him,” Bob said.
When a friend died after overdosing on prescription drugs, Mark decided to check into Florida's G & G Holistic Addiction Treatment Center.
Mark's failed at rehab twice already. But the staff here specializes in just such cases.
The average cost for a two-month stay is $28,000 dollars, some of which can be covered by certain insurance policies.
In rehab, Mark will confront his demons, with constant counseling and therapy.
"I'd like to improve my health," he said. "Because the drugs really downed my body."
He told a counselor: “I want this I really want this, so I'm just going to pray to God and have faith that everything will work out and everything will be fine.”
He'd record the details of the damage he'd done in a video diary.
“When I was taking Oxy's I would think about who am I going to rob today. Who am I going to steal from. Who am I going to have to hurt? I don't care because I want to get high,” he said.
Mark's erratic behavior is typical of what doctors say parents should be on the look out for. Potential warning signs include a drop in attendance and grades at school, financial problems, and changes in friends.
But like many, Mark's parents understood next to nothing about prescription drug addiction.
“I thought prescription drugs were okay because the doctor gave them to you,” Bob said.
It's that kind of thinking that fuels America's drug crisis - something Dr. Herbert Kleber has been monitoring for 35 years.
Does he think people perceive using prescription drugs differently than street drugs like heroin, crack marijuana?
“Absolutely. These drugs are perceived as safe, as medicinal, not drugs,” Cleber said.
And when the addict does get serious about finding help?
“There's not enough treatment available in this country,” he said.
It is estimated that every day 22 Million Americans need treatment for substance abuse of some kind, but only two million get help. And even those often experience a relapse.
After two months at "G & G," Mark McCarthy completed the program.
Now Mark's back with his parents, and can enjoy a night out - without drugs, hoping this time he's finally kicked the habit for good.
“I feel like I finally got my son back,” Bob said.
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See all 35 CommentsWhen your out looking for a pill and you can't find one at the first place you look, what do you do? You go to the next place and look there. Since when does an addict stop looking till they find what they are looking for. If you are looking for Suboxone to cure you, it won't it only manages your disease. Just like insulin manages diabetes.
You worked hard at your addiction for years, so now you have to work twice as hard at your recovery. If you want it you will work it.
It is not a simple as will power. It is not a moral issue. If you are looking for more information on addiction as a disease and Suboxone I found a very informative website. This website is also HonCode certified. What that means is that doctors and other professionals can go to that website and use the information there and know it is accurate. If you are looking at non HonCode certified websites, you are looking in the wrong place. Check them out;
www.suboxoneassistedtreatment.org
another one is
www.medicalassistedtreatment.org
Yes, I am a Suboxone patient and I speak from years of experience. If I have to be on Suboxone for the rest of my life, so be it. At least I have a life to look forward to.
Suboxone is designed to be used with counseling and not by itself. You need to change the way you do things and the places you go, not to mention the people that you hang out with. No one can do this for you. You have to do it for yourself.
And yes, Suboxone is addictive, if you stop taking it you will go into mild to moderate withdrawal. But if you are certain you want to stop taking it, then taper off of it. It can be done.
I wish you all a safe recovery. And a happy life.
I noticed that you indicated that the new medications for addiction can "even be prescribed by a family practitioner." It is time that you stopped the prejudice against practitioners of family medicine. They are some of the more broadly prepared practitioners of allopathic medicine in our country -- they don''t have the luxury of specializing in a particular body part, instead they respond to the needs of the whole patient (and all of the systems) and the family. I see FP''s as the front line of health care, and it is time that snobs like you stop broadcasting slurs on the primary care physician, particularly the FP.
One of my new favorite shows about the topic is on A&E, called Intervention. It basically studies to the addict''s life, convincing them that they''re participating in a documentary. At the end, they show them the results of their addiction, and force them to choose between intervention or continuing their selfish ways. I think it''s great how it shows the real reactions of an addict''s life, as well as how the intervention and addiction process really work. If you haven''t, you should check it out: http://www.aetv.com/intervention. The new series premiers at 9pm on December 3rd. I am working to support this because I think it''s imperative to understand the implications of addiction and its affect on loved ones. How have you guys been dealing with addiction?
please see www.suboxone.com for all the facts.
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