I am writing this book because I want to share my story. As much as I have been living a very blessed life, my family has also endured hardships I want to share in hopes of offering some comfort and strength to others. Some of these hardships I have endured I have caused and some have come maybe as a result of my actions. Yet I have learned over the years that God forgives me every day, and if he can forgive me, then so can I. My story started many years before I realized my oldest son was struggling with drugs and addictions, however, this story takes place during one of the years with these struggles. I want to share how drugs, lies and deceit can tear a family apart; however, I also want to give hope that it is possible to pull through. As parents, it is so important that we not turn our backs to our kids' drug use. It is easy to pretend there is no problem; that your kid is just smoking a little pot or drinking a few beers - after all, didn't we do the same thing when we were young? However, the potency of the drugs today is much stronger than just a few decades ago and one can argue that so is the pressure. As parents, we can't afford to deny that if our kids are drinking alcohol, smoking pot or using other stimuli at a young age, there are potential dangers lurking. There is also an additional factor to consider; are we as parents ready to unveil our children's drug use, recreational or not, and face the consequences? I have felt the judgments of others; I have felt the pain of admitting that my kid is an addict and I know how my parenting skills have been questioned by others: does she not have any control over that kid? Countless times during Jacob's struggles and lack of cooperation did I want to give up, but at the same time I knew from the bottom of my heart that giving up was not an option. I am writing this book about my family's journey through Jacob's struggles with drugs and addiction because, in many regards, it changed me profoundly. It opened my eyes to powers outside of myself and to truly trust in God. Writing the book was healing for me and once I decided to write down some of the craziness we were living through, the book took on a life of its own. Some of the things I am writing about are so out-of-this world extreme that I couldn't have made them up. I don't try to pretend I know anything more than what I have lived through, but I have come to realize there is a pattern that families follow when dealing with adolescent addiction and mental health problems - and this pattern is repetitive. As you will come to read, when living with an addict, the same situations are happening over and over again; hence the year I write about is very similar to the year following.... If this is what you are encountering, then know that you are not alone