Teen Drug Use: Breaking The Comfort Zone Of Stereotpying.

We live in a world where people like to think that only kids from bad homes or bad neighborhoods get involved in drugs or alcohol. Too many people can or will not see outside this stereotype because it breaks the bubble of their comfort zone.

Katie Granju’s story, however, is going to break those comfort zones wide open. Be prepared. And don’t close your eyes because it hurts to read it… because it’s going to.

18 year old Henry Granju was beaten with a tire iron and robbed by three assailants during an attempted drug buy in the parking lot of a local grocery store last month. He died Monday from the injuries received during that assault and the following overdose of drugs ‘administered’ to him by ‘friends’ who were afraid to take him to the emergency room. When he was finally admitted to St. Mary’s hospital on April 27th, he was bleeding from his ears, with a broken jaw, broken ribs and brain injuries.

As a mother of three teens myself, reading his mama’s daily updates during his time in ICU was gut wrenching:

“05/01/2010 – HE WOKE UP!!! This morning H is talking some, although his focus, memory and attention are not what we will look for in the weeks ahead as he heals. When he said, ” Hi Mama,” when I first saw him this morning, I began jumping up and down and hollering with joy, tears streaming down my face (an entertaining sight when someone is as ginormously pregnant as I am). But those were – without question – the most important, beautiful words I have ever heard another human being utter, and I will never forget that feeling of hearing my son say them as long as I live. Best. Words. Ever.”

(Yes. You read that right. The mama who is now having to bury her firstborn child… is going through all of this turmoil while pregnant with her 5th and last child.)

For 38 days after his hospitalization, our local police department all but refused to do any serious investigation into the assault. One investigator specifically told Katie that “unless Henry could speak directly to him, then “there is no victim.” Following his admittance to the ER on April 27th, however, he was never again able to speak more than 2-3 words.

Prostitutes, druggies, homeless people… who cares? Right? Good kids don’t end up robbed and beaten during drug deals. Right? Decent people don’t end up burying their children after a drug overdose…

Wrong.

Henry was a good kid, from a good home and highly respectable parents. His mother, Katie Allison Granju, is a published author and the director of digital and social media for a local public relations group. His father, Chris Granju, is Knox County’s Director of Stormwater Management. He was not just some ‘junkie from the hood’. And no one is going to apologize if this doesn’t fit your mold. It’s reality. A harsh one that should be a wake-up call for parents across the country.

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I would also like to take a moment point out how often kids end up involved with drugs or alcohol because they are ’self medicating’ due a hereditary yet undiagnosed or untreated illness. Something as simple as a malfunctioning thyroid can manifest as depression or anxiety. Never heard of self medicating?? Start googling!

Drug use seems to be especially prevalent in instances of undiagnosed bipolar and/or anxiety disorders… most often manifesting as extreme mood and personality changes at puberty (beyond the ‘normal’ puberty changes!). It starts with experimentation… but then leads to full time use/abuse when the user discovers that it lessens the symptoms of the undiagnosed or untreated disorder.

Bipolar has about a 25% heredity rate. And it can skip generations. (In my own family it occurred with my mother… skipped my generation… then showed up again with my oldest child when she reached puberty.) Henry’s maternal grandfather fought a lifelong battle with the disorder, so it is altogether possible that Henry’s drug use was rooted to hereditary factors over which he had little control, much less understanding of his own internal battle(s).

Be aware of your children. Watch every little thing. If there is a family history of mental, emotional or endocrine system disorders of any kind, be even more observant.

There is no manual that we’re handed when our children are born. Every parent knows this. There is no way for anyone to be 100% prepared for any and everything our children might go through. And no one deserves to be judged when they have been as exemplary parents as the Granjus and their extended family.

I sincerely hope to see something positive come from this family’s life changing loss.

I hope to see our police departments and personnel made aware of their pitfalls due to stereotyping.

Henry was just a kid, for heaven’s sake. He was not lost. He was simply in transition.

I also hope to see families (nationwide!) made blatantly aware that it COULD happen to them. Share the mamapundit.com blog link with everyone you know whose life might be enlightened by it! If it could happen to the Granjus, it could happen to you, me or someone we love.

Stay informed. Be aware of your family history as much as is possible. Communicate with your children. Watch. Love. Don’t accuse… talk. And never, ever be too full of pride to seek help if you suspect a situation is more than you can handle alone.

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Read Katie Granju’s story

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