The story on organised drugs (The Examiner, Oct. 21) hit home to me as
I read it. My 15-year-old daughter has become alcohol dependent and I
feel she has also become substance dependent in the past three months.
This dependency has led her to becoming abusive, violent and
destructive.

I was forced into putting an interim restraint order on her after she
started to attack her younger sister and destroy my home.

I received a letter from her lawyer saying that she realised she had a
problem and would be prepared to attend Hassles Conflict Resources if
I lifted the restraint order.

The order has been lifted for about a month now and she still has not
been there, but persists in returning to the place where she is being
supplied with drugs and alcohol.

My home has become a drop-in centre for her to get food, cleaned up,
wash clothes and just for time out. I have tried time and time again
to explain to her that she has a problem but, of course, she denies
this all the time.

She became so violent last week that she trashed the place where she
was staying, punched her father and threatened him with a knife, tried
to cut her wrists with a bread knife and even rang the police wanting
to charge herself. They could not believe her.

I have been everywhere I can possibly think of to get help for her,
even the drug and alcohol abuse service. No one can help her until she
asks for help herself. I am so worried this dependency has made her a
threat to herself.

Her father is going to Victoria for a couple of months and we both
feel she should go as well to get away from the people who are
influencing her.

I put an ultimatum on her for her sake. If she does not go with her
father then I will be forced into making her a Ward of the State. Her
response to this was that she wants to come home to me and says she
will get help.

I feel I cannot trust her decision on this because of her addiction. I
have told her to get help first.

All I can do now is wait and, like Scotty said, denial is such a major
issue. I am still not convinced that she is willing to accept that she
has a problem.

HELPLESS.