ANNIE’S MAILBOX: After prison, son is stagnant

By Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar

Dear Annie: My 27-year-old son was just released from prison after serving 18 months on drug charges. While there, he was enthusiastic about turning his life around, saying he’d find a job and attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings when he got out.

Since his release, however, he has not attended a single meeting and has done very little to find work. He lives with his mother, consuming caffeine and mooching off of her. My heart breaks that my son had such a positive attitude while in prison and, except for the drugs, is back to his old behavior.

What can I do?

Bummed Out in Bradenton, Fla.

Dear Bradenton: Your son may be depressed. He may have given up on finding work when he noticed jobs are scarce and most employers are reluctant to hire ex-cons. Don’t wait for him to call or visit. Go see him. He needs your emotional support and encouragement. Check city hall or the governor’s office to see whether there are programs to help ex-offenders. Goodwill Industries does some job training and placement, and the military also accepts some enlistees who have a criminal record. Offer to go with him to NA meetings. And you should look into Nar-Anon (nar-anon.org) for families and friends of drug addicts. Good luck.

Dear Annie: Last year, President Barack Obama signed legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products. It was a huge victory for teens like me who have been targeted by tobacco companies, but there is still work to be done.

My city has enacted an ordinance eliminating smoking in most workplaces, but tobacco companies are still finding new and clever ways to hook kids on tobacco. My town has been a test market for new smokeless-tobacco products, which include dissolvable orbs, sticks and tiny pouches disguised in colorful packaging that look like breath mints or gum.

I have spent the past year working with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. We need to do more on the state level to pass laws that protect kids and to send a message that we will not be manipulated.

Readers can get involved by visiting tobaccofreekids.org and learning about what’s being done in their state.

Emily Kile, age 18, Greenfield, Ind.

Dear Emily: Thank you for a persuasive call to arms. We hope all our readers will visit the Web site and learn what they can do to help.

Dear Annie: I read the letter from “Cornered in California,” whose friends use their paycheck for the husband’s cancer medications, and now they’ve been evicted. Please tell them to call United Way’s three-digit social-services line at 2-1-1. The couple can also visit a local United Way office or other social service offices in their area. Look under social services in the Yellow Pages.

Concerned

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