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14yo drunk :(

27 replies

cricketmum84 · 28/11/2018 21:45

This may be a long post so apologies!

My 14 yo son has had some issues with anxiety over the last year or so. Has been seen by GP and had some counselling sessions. Things seemed to be getting back in an even keel.

2 weeks ago I caught him stealing alcohol at home. It was taken off him before he had drunk anything.

Tonight he text me an hour after he had finished school to say he had stayed to an after school music club and was on his way for the bus. Because the weather was bad and he has a long walk from the bus stop I said I would track the bus and come out and pick him up from the bus stop.

I pulled up behind the bus as he got off and it was immediately obvious something wasn't right. He veered into the wall, righted himself and stumbled to the car. He fell through the car door, said he felt sick and jumped out and was sick on the pavement. I drove him home, sat him at the kitchen table with a glass of water and asked what he had taken/drunk. He was slurring his words and couldn't hold his head up. He knocked over 2 chairs and the kitchen bin just running to be sick.

At this point his dad said he was taking him to a&e. He point blank refused and started to get aggressive. He started to panic and was hyperventilating and saying he couldn't breathe.

I phoned 111 who said they would send a paramedic out to check him over. He still wouldn't tell us what he had taken.

Eventually he said someone had given him something and he swallowed it. He then said he had smelt it. When I asked what he said he had been drinking but couldn't remember what or where he had drunk. He asked to speak to my mum and just sobbed down the phone to her. She came round to speak to him properly and try to calm him down. (He has always had a better relationship with her than me. Can't be arsed getting into a debate about that as I already feel like shit for not being able to calm my own child).

In the meantime a paramedic called to check on him and advised all a&e would do was monitor him which we can do at home.

He eventually admitted he had been drinking vodka mixed with coke in a coke bottle that a friend (well call her Mary) had brought to school. Mary's dad is an alcoholic. He only divulged Mary's name on the promise that I wouldn't report her.

My mum has taken him back to hers as I have to work tomorrow and have only been in this job a week. I really can't take any time off. She is medically qualified and to be honest is probably the best person to look after him while he is in this state.

I will call school in the morning as obviously he isn't going to be well enough to go in. But based on my promise to not report Mary do I tell school that she is the one bringing in alcohol.

I know deep down that reporting Mary to school is the right thing to do morally. However, our relationship feels like it's on very thin ice at the moment and I feel like I'm betraying him by reporting her iyswim??

I'll also be making a GP appt for him and sorting some more counselling. He says he was drinking because he feels sad all the time and he doesn't know why.

I feel like I'm in such a precarious position.

WWYD? And please any opinions think about the entire story, not just the knee jerk moral answer??

OP posts:
Greensleeves · 28/11/2018 21:50

I may get flamed for this, but I would not, at this point, report Mary. I would be prioritising my fragile trust relationship with DS over "doing the right thing" by another teenaged drinker.

I think you're right to be taking him to the GP and asking to be referred for an assessment and hopefully counselling (be prepared for a wait, CAMHS are swamped and underfunded).

I am not judging you at all, I think you're being incredibly brave and loving to let your mum look after him when that must be very hard and hurtful for you. I have a 16yo ds with mental health problems at the moment (we're under CAMHS) and he rejectsme/targets me for criticism and aggression - I have been told it's common, for teenage boys who are struggling to blame their mothers. It doesn't mean they don't love us, apparently.

Flowers for you xx

dalmatianmad · 28/11/2018 21:57

Sounds like an awful evening. Hopefully he will feel so unwell in the morning that he won't do it again anytime soon.
I wouldn't tell school about Mary. Ds won't tell you anything again. You will break his trust. I would have a good talking to him and and threaten to tell school if he does anything like this again.
It's sad that you think people will judge you. My dad deals with my teenage dc better than me sometimes Flowers

mineofuselessinformation · 28/11/2018 22:09

Contact the school.
Tell them what's happened, and say it's a female friend that brought it in. Make sure that you state you want this to be an anonymous report - he won't be the only one who knows about it.
You won't be breaking his trust, but you will be doing something about it.

SummerStrong · 28/11/2018 22:13

I agree that you need to protect your relationship with your DS first. It isn't uncommon for teenagers this age to experiment with alcohol, what you need to determine if this is a once off or if he is drinking regularly.

I think you need to have Mary over and get to know her a bit better, let them hang out at your house a bit, boys that age will do stupid things when a girl is involved, try to keep communication open. Tell him you love him regardless of his mistakes.

steppemum · 28/11/2018 22:19

Oh what a nightmare.
Yes contact the school, simply say that he got the alcohol from another student who brought it in in a coke bottle.
Don't give out Mary's name.
Your son will never trust you if you give out her name.

he is 14, and many, many teens do daft things.
he has learnt a serious lesson about alcohol and how it quickly makes you sick and feeling rubbish.

Once he is sober, you might want to talk to him about alcohol poisoning, and how his young body can't process it quickly, and how dangerous it is.

Make sure he knows that you are taking his feeling seriously. He sounds as if he needs anti depressants?

EvaHarknessRose · 28/11/2018 22:23

Are you sure he wasn’t given a pill or anything as well?

elephantoverthehill · 28/11/2018 22:24

I'm sorry to go against the grain. I do think you need to contact the school about this and report 'Mary'. You can ask the school to keep the source confidential. 'Mary' has broken a major school rule and put your son in danger. Luckily you tracked and picked up your son, what else may have happened if you had not done so? I think by going through the school you might get help for your son and 'Mary' a little quicker.

cricketmum84 · 28/11/2018 22:27

I'll be honest I darent even think about what could have happened to him if I hadn't said I would pick him up from the bus stop. His walk back is just over a mile on quiet country lanes and if he has stayed at an after school club (or not as it seems) it would be dark. God only knows what could have happened!

OP posts:
cricketmum84 · 28/11/2018 22:31

Yes I do think he needs some medication.

I thought I was being a bit extreme but the paramedic also advised a GP visit and maybe a low dose of something like seratonin to lift his mood. He has always been a bit "woe is me" even as a very young boy. He was always hard done by and we used to laugh about how it was always everyone else's fault but his. It's not so funny now...

I am on ADs myself for a panic disorder and I have to look at myself to see how much of this is my fault.

There is no romantic interest with the girl - he came out as gay about 6 months ago x

OP posts:
Theknacktoflying · 28/11/2018 22:32

I really wouldn’t be worrying about Mary - just tell the school that he got it from another student

I am so pleased that he has a good relationship with your mum and she will be able to help - you are not a bad mum ...

Speak to the school - they may have some ideas as to how to help ...

Theknacktoflying · 28/11/2018 22:33

Poor kid ..

youarenotkiddingme · 28/11/2018 22:36

Poor kid. And poor you. And you sound like a great mum. Kids just tend to want someone else because they love us so much.

Yes ring school. Be honest about his absence. Agree about respecting his wish for keeping Mary name out of it.

However also be prepared that as it's likely he consumed alcohol at school or is admitting to having it in school it's very likely they will punish. If he chooses to keep Mary a secret he may well be the one to get all the punishment.

elephantoverthehill · 28/11/2018 22:36

Can you guess I'm a teacher? I am equally worried (may be a bit more so) about 'Mary' as the OP's son. The Op's son seems to have a very supportive family. We don't know about 'Mary', so that is why it is important for Cricket to report it to the school.

Greensleeves · 28/11/2018 22:40

Mary isn't the OP's problem, though. Harsh I know - but I have had school reneg on agreements not to communicate things I have said in confidence before (I've explicitly asked them not to let ds1 know that I've shared something, and some idiot has told him anyway), and OP NEEDS her son to trust her at the moment. That's her priority.

cricketmum84 · 28/11/2018 22:41

@elephantoverthehill yes this is what's preying on my mind a lot tonight. I wouldn't be reporting Mary to get her in trouble or punished. I'm concerned about her access to alcohol, her home life and her own alcohol consumption. Is this something she does regularly? If it's known amongst her friends that her dad is an alcoholic is this something school should be aware of?
I'm worried about Mary but think right now I need to prioritise my son!

OP posts:
SpottingTheZebras · 28/11/2018 22:47

I wouldn’t report Mary, at least not right now. I’d prioritise my son and ensure he trusted me.

Unless he is actually being sick, I’d also send him to school tomorrow. Maybe the horrific hangover will put him off drinking.

elephantoverthehill · 28/11/2018 22:49

Cricket I totally understand that your son is your first priority and I really hope you will be able reconcile yourselves and work on his well being. sorry that sounds like some pompous clap-trap . However you have been witness to a disclosure about, what sounds like, a vunerable child and I'm sorry but you really should disclose that information to a relevant authority. The school is the easiest route but you could alert the NSPCC.

BlancheM · 28/11/2018 23:01

What a nightmare. I also see no benefit in reporting Mary. If she's bringing drink into school and it's common knowledge that her dad is an alcoholic, then the school and other authorities are probably well aware of her home life.
OP you sound like a brilliant mum. Keep your son's trust in you in tact, speak to him about alcohol being a depressant as well as the other dangers...I have a feeling this isn't an experience he'll be wanting to repeat.

Pinkyyy · 28/11/2018 23:10

It's all well and good people saying that Mary isn't the OP's problem, but she is in fact a large part of it- she supplied the alcohol. I would absolutely report this to the school, they will assist you in staying anonymous but they need to know the full story in order to best help you and your DS. I am so sorry you and your DS are in this situation and I really feel for you, stay strong OPFlowers

slappinthebass · 28/11/2018 23:23

There is actually a good chance he won't have a hangover at all tomorrow. I would bare that in mind and have his school things ready for him to go in. I think you need to explain to your son why you would like to report Mary, and because you are concerned for her, ask him his opinion on that. If you are honest with him and let him be involved in how is best to protect her, he won't shut you out. He might have an alternative idea.

Ethel80 · 28/11/2018 23:33

I think you should be telling the school where he got the alcohol from, 'Mary' could well benefit from some support right now.

I get that you don't want to break your sons trust OP but you could explain to him that you will keep things confidential as long as he or someone else isn't at risk and this is one of those times when protecting him and others outweighs his privacy.

steppemum · 29/11/2018 10:00

A few years ago I would have said strongly that you must report Mary, for her own benefit.

But I now have teens, and I have heard too many stories from friends with teens about schools 'forgetting' to keep it confidential where the information came from. Also kids who have been badly ostracised by the rest of the class because they 'snitched' and told on Mary.

So, sadly, knowing that it isn't really the morally 'right' thing, I would look at what was best for my ds, and if that meant not giving out Mary's name, so be it.

On the other hand, once the school hears that there was alcohol supplied by one of the other kids, I think it will take about 5 minutes to track down Mary. Especially if it is known that there are alcohol problems at home, she may well already be on the radar for this.

LauralovesLuke · 29/11/2018 10:03

It's a safeguarding issue - you HAVE to report it.

IdblowJonSnow · 29/11/2018 10:20

You don't 'have' to prioritise Mary over your own son. It's good you are concerned for her and please do keep an ear to the ground but I would prioritise my own child in this situation too. Having had my own confidences shat on by school, about my own child and then again by the nspcc on another matter.

steppemum · 29/11/2018 10:32

Laura - she is reporting it. She doesn't have to give Mary's name.

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