The Family Foundation School
In my life before The Family School I was extremely self-centered. I hurt everyone around me to get what I wanted and got a lot of negative attention by acting like a psycho. I had no interest in God because he probably didn't want me to steal, lie, cheat, or use substances.
My life became unmanageable early on. I was kicked out of 8th grade for drinking and drugging, and a year later was thrown out of 9th grade for the same reasons. I also owed thousands of dollars in gambling debt and spent my life running from those I owed money to.
Before FFS, my life was unmanageable and out of control. I was shooting heroin, selling drugs, stealing, and lying to my parents. I did anything to blind me from reality because I hated who I had become.
At home I was an overeater and extremely overweight. Going to school was the last thing on my mind. I stayed home and slept all day, then got up and stayed out all night. I was rude and disrespectful and had fits of temper.
At home I perfected the art of quitting. My attempts at sports, school, and relationships amounted to nothing but pathetic stories because I never followed through. I did not like myself and wanted to escape the judgment of others.
My life at home was full of lies and deceit. I became part of the tough crowd in middle school, and in high school I was in and out of detention, got into bad relationships, ran away and was sent to a psych ward.
To put it bluntly, I was a drunk. I didn't care about my family, or God, just drinking and smoking. I was drug-tested for the first time at 12, at 13 I was in outpatient rehab, and at 15 I was sent to wilderness and then to The Family School.
I was 15 and my mother was driving me to the hospital. She was crying, but all I could think of was what a good job I had done not eating. I felt no remorse, only the desire to leave and continue killing myself.
I am an alcoholic and a drug addict who couldn't live life on life's terms, so I drank. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, I was introduced to heavier drugs and started stealing and selling his pain medication.
I was empty, angry, miserable, and lonely at home, and used any means possible to numb my feelings. I dropped out of school. Nothing really mattered, and I was quickly using up my friends and family.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder Facts
How do I know if my child has oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)?
Determining when a child's behavior meets the criteria for a specific disorder is difficult for parents. Complicating our understanding of our children's behavior is our own questioning about whether we are at fault-if the behavioral problems are a result of something we are doing, or not doing. We hope that the information here will help you understand oppositional defiant disorder and point you toward resources that can help.
About one in 10 children may have oppositional defiant disorder, which is defined as a persistent pattern of defiant behaviors such as arguing, anger, tantrums and/or disruptive behaviors toward you as parents, or other authority figures. Children with oppositional defiant disorder tend not to perform well in traditional classroom settings or respond as expected to normal parental rules and boundaries. They tend to have a negative, argumentative attitude and can show hostility toward authority figures. Typical behaviors also include refusals to follow rules, spiteful or vindictive behavior and difficulty accepting responsibility for their behavior. This tendency to blaming others for misbehavior creates difficulty maintaining positive relationships with family members and friends. Adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder tend to gravitate toward a "negative" peer group that supports their acting out against established rules and authority figures.
Since it is normal to display certain degrees of oppositional behavior throughout childhood and adolescence, it is difficult to discern between children that are strong willed, or even those going through normal adolescent development, and those with oppositional defiant disorder. However, if your child's defiant or oppositional behaviors have been persistent, are disruptive to the family or school environment, and have lasted at least 6 months, he or she may have oppositional defiant disorder.
Children with oppositional defiant disorder may also have one or more coexisting disorders, such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), anxiety, or depression. Treatment options include individual and family counseling, medication and specialized academic and residential settings.
The Family Foundation School serves adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder by providing a supportive and consistent therapeutic environment that helps adolescents to develop independence while maintaining a healthy respect for themselves and others. Together with family support and counseling, caring teachers and staff and positive peers, adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder are able to grow and develop their full potential.
