An Ottawa father of a teen girl who has struggled with drug addiction for more than two years says his daughter is finally in treatment, but he says too many families are struggling to get help for their kids.
Sean O'Leary made headlines in February, when he wrote an open letter about the struggle he has faced trying to keep his daughter Paige away from drugs.
In , O鈥橪eary wrote of how, since his 16-year-old daughter started using drugs at parties, he has spent every night worrying about her.
He called on other parents living similar nightmares to come together to support each other and find ways to fight the drug crisis that he says is not just affecting those in seedy corners of the country鈥檚 biggest cities, but in suburbs across Canada.
鈥淭his issue or crisis is happening pretty much across our country,鈥� he told 麻豆影视 Channel Monday from his home in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata.
鈥淭he question is how bad will it get before it peaks or before we can start turning this around.鈥�
Since his Facebook letter went viral, O鈥橪eary has continued to advocate for better drug treatment for teens like his, forming a group called 鈥溾�� to fight for changes, including the chronic shortage of youth detox beds in hospitals.
O鈥橪eary鈥檚 daughter knows she has a problem and when she is free from drugs, she supports her father鈥檚 advocacy efforts. But things change when she begins using again.
鈥淎t times, it鈥檚 been very good. But at other times, when she鈥檚 struggled, it鈥檚 not been good,鈥� O鈥橪eary said.
In his February letter, O鈥橪eary wrote that he has spent thousands of dollars on psychologists and counselling for his daughter, but she continues to waver between periods of being clean and relapse.
In late June, O鈥橪eary 鈥�12 nightmare days,鈥� in which his daughter left the house and went on a binge of cocaine and other drugs. A trip to a local hospital ended in a a quick discharge, so he resorted to taking away his daughter鈥檚 phone and not allowing her to leave the house.
He said he 鈥渂asically detoxed her without her permission,鈥� until she found a hidden phone and called 911. Police informed O鈥橪eary that, because Paige was 16, she was free to go where she chose 鈥� a situation that left O鈥橪eary frustrated.
鈥淭he laws in place make it hard for parents to get help for their kids who don鈥檛 want the help,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just very difficult.鈥�
Shortly after O鈥橪eary posted that letter, he learned that Paige had been accepted for long-term treatment at CHEO, the Children鈥檚 Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
O鈥橪eary said he believes the fact that he runs 鈥淲e The Parents鈥� gave him leverage to get his daughter help.
鈥淏ut even with that, it was so difficult,鈥� he said. 鈥溾� think if I hadn鈥檛 had the media attention I had at that point, I don鈥檛 think I would have even gotten her in that day."
Much more needs to be done to ensure that teens who need drug treatment get access to it, even when they are old enough to refuse treatment, O鈥橪eary says.
鈥淪ubstance use disorder is a chronic disease,鈥� he said, with a relapse rate he estimates is close to 100 per cent.
鈥淚 mean, a lot of them try. Unfortunately, our system right now doesn鈥檛 give them a very easy path if they want to get better.鈥�
