West Hempstead Parents Get Dose of Ugly Truth About Teen Drug Use

Fact: In 2009, Nassau County saw more opiate-related deaths than homicides and drunk driving deaths combined. Drugs found in medicine cabinets caused ninety deaths. That's more than double the amount of people killed by homicides and drunk driving, a total of 43.

This growing amount of drug-related tragedies is the driving force for the "Not My Child" presentation that the Nassau District Attorney's office is showing to parents of teenagers. The program was presented on Nov. 17 to local parents at West Hempstead Middle School.

What are opiates?  The non-medically trained know them as the pills that make you loopy after having your wisdom teeth removed. For surgery patients, the pills, such as Oxycontin and morphine, are fairly safe. For healthy teens looking for a high that surpasses that of marijuana, they are deadly.

"Not My Child" aims to place responsibility on the shoulders of parents, who are sometimes ignorant or who grow idealistic about their children. Those who say things such as:

"We take the kids keys, so they don't drink and drive."

"At least they're smoking in my basement, so I know where they are."

"What's the big deal?  I smoked pot when I was in high school and I'm fine."

These kinds of statements are some of the biggest mistakes parents can make and are the first steps to losing one's child to addiction, said the program's speaker Teresa Corrigan, bureau chief of Street Narcotics and Gangs for Nassau County.

"We try to get these parents who still think their children are perfect and incapable of addiction…so we put a face on it," Corrigan said.

The presentation gave glimpses of real local people who have seen their children fall victim to drug addition.

It happened to Natalie Ciappa. Two years ago, Ciappa, a seemingly normal Massapequa high school honor student, died of a heroin overdose. Her parents, who accepted their daughter had a problem, no longer had the power to force her into rehabilitation.  She was 18 years old and could refuse rehabilitation despite her parents' pleas. She died soon after her prom.

Then there's Philip Ammirati, son of Nora Ammirati, a paralegal in the Nassau DA's office. Philip has been in and out of rehab and is still fighting to stay clean, but Nora's understanding and acceptance of her son's addiction emulates what "Not My Child" asks parents to realize.

"This is everybody's kid," said Natalie Ciappa's mother at a DA press conference. This message is what "Not My Child" stresses to all parents. Addiction can happen to honor students or dropouts, team captains or bench warmers.

"Parents, just get your heads out of the sand," Corrigan summed up.  "You have to talk to them now, when they are in middle school, because by the time they get to high school, it really is too late."

For information on recognizing signs of addiction and how you can help prevent drug use click here.