Jessica Foster
Staff WriterHeís a typical teenager, really. He refers to his parents as ìparentals,î thinks Slip Knot is one of the best bands ever and does anything he can to be just a little bit different from what society expects.
He works hard to please his family, loves the game of hockey and dreamsóif just a little bitóof making it big as a musician.
And every day, Shawn Schuh fights his addiction to drugs.
Schuh, 16, is a junior at Forest Lake High School. He recently completed rehabilitation at Fairview Recovery Services.
Motivation
He had no real plans of going to treatment. Sure, he had been using drugs steadily and using any means necessary to get his fix for years.
But getting high was a way of life. It became easy. Getting caught wasnít expected.
When it happenedówhen Schuh got in trouble for smoking marijuana with his two cousins, his stepbrother and a neighboróeverything changed.
Schuh said he got ìconnedî into going to his dadís house (his parents are divorced) and there both of his parents laid down the law.
ìFor three to four hours, I got yelled at,î Schuh said.
When his stepbrother came home, the yelling resumed. For a total of seven hours, Schuh heard about his parentsí disapproval.
It wasnít a revelation that made Schuh seek help.
ìI was angry the whole entire time,î Schuh said of the confrontation.
When things settled down, Schuh went to a two-hour long drug assessment. From there, he was referred to Fairview Recovery Services where he ìhad to spill the beansî on his drug usage.
ìI smoked pot daily for more than a year,î he said. Schuh popped pills including vicodin, codeine, morphine and over the counter drugs such as Tylenol 3, Coracedin Cold and Cough and Robitussin. He also consumed alcoholic beverages.
He spent 20 days at Fairview Recovery, followed by 15 sessions of after care. After earning his certificate of completion, Schuh continues to stop by for support and attends regular meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous (AA/NA).
Fairview Recovery has made a difference for Schuh. Beyond battling his addictions, it has helped him change his life.
ìI have become aware of my depression,î he said. ìIíve become more caring toward my siblings and my family.î
At home, the teenager said he is enjoying more freedoms. As he takes on more responsibilities, he earns more freedoms.
While he sees himself becoming a better person, the addiction remains.
ìTo be honest, I do want to use. But I donít want to use,î he said.
Saying his friends ìrock,î Schuh spends time with sober friends in his spare time.
Not the first time
While this is the first time Schuh has gone through treatment, it isnít the first time he had to face consequences for his use.
Getting drugs at school was easy for Schuh.
ìFirst hour, Iíd ask someone for a bag and I could get one by second hour,î Schuh said. ìI helped a lot of people move weed through that school.î
While some insist there is not a big drug problem in Forest Lake schools, Schuh disagrees.
ìDrugs are a big issue in Forest Lake,î he said.
Efforts to curb the problem exist, he said, but are ineffective.
ìThey (school officials) try to do a lot. But theyíre looking in the wrong places,î he said.
At the school it is easy to buy methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and ìanything and everythingî a user could want, Schuh said.
Before he began to fight his addiction, Schuh said he was ìmeanî if he didnít smoke his weed, but managed to pull Cs and Bs in all of his classes.
Getting high at school was common practice.
ìKids do it between classes, it was so easy to do it,î he said. ìIíd go to school high and come home high.î
When fighting temptations, Schuh said ìschools are evilî because drugs are prevalent.
He also said the DARE program is ìpointless because as soon as you hit junior high you have speed, weed and birth control.î
Drugs, for Schuh, was part of fitting in. ìI donít really recommend doing it,î he said. ìBut it was fun.î
As a sophomore, he obtained some Adderall (speed) from a female student at Forest Lake High School.
When she was caught, school officials probed who she had given the missing pills to. School staff found Schuh sitting on the floor appearing to be ìout of it.î
ìI came clean to (Police Liaison Officer Sean) Lafferty, but I donít remember that day,î Schuh said.
Schuh insisted it was his first time experimenting with drugs. In a test, only Aldoril showed up though Schuh had been doing other drugs including marijuana.
As a result, Schuh had been having sporadic urinalysis (UAs). He never knew when heíd be expected to pass a test, so the teenager drank water to dilute his urine.
ìI passed every single oneóand I was on drugsóby drinking a lot of water,î Schuh claims.
First tastes
Schuh took his first taste of alcohol when he was in elementary school.
ìI was 8 or 10-years old, and I got to take sips,î Schuh remembers.
At 12 using alcohol became more common and Schuh would drink from the supply his father bought.
At 13, Schuh smoked marijuana for the first time.
ìAnd they were just like hey, itís laced with angel dust,î Schuh remembers. ìAt 14 I got into it two or three times a week, at 15-years-old I started getting into it every day.î
When he was 14-years-old Schuh explored other drugs taking pain killers such as vicodin, codeine and cold medicine. When his grandmother was dying of cancer, he stole her liquid morphine to get a fix.
ìI had them wrapped around my fingers,î Schuh said of his parents.
Wrapped around his fingers because he became an expert at hiding his habits.
Life now, future
Without drugs and alcohol in his life, Schuh said he canít really be a teenager anymore.
Looking to the future, Schuh said he would like to go into piercing and also earn a psychology degree to work as a therapist.
While his career is important, Schuh said when he is a dad, being a parent will be his top priority.
ìIím not going to focus on my work. Iím going to focus on my children. Iím going to focus on making sure they are set for life. I just want to make sure theyíre happy,î he said.
ìIíll put them in sports and try to be a positive role model,î Schuh said. ìI just donít want them to do what I did.î
And, Schuh said, he will teach them it is okay to be an individual.
ìYou donít have to be who everybody else is,î he said.
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