Power of Parenting in Recovery

Guest Bio: Deborah Simpson

Parents are a readily available source of drugs for teens. Often, it's where drug addiction begins.

Joseph Simpson, co-founder of Safer Lock, says for him, "It all started in 2002, when my mother was in a serious car accident, putting her in a wheelchair for almost two years. She endured over 34 operations (back, neck, shoulder, and knees) and her doctors prescribed some pretty powerful pain killers. My younger brother Steven, then 14, couldn't resist experimenting. It was common in our high school."

As prescription drugs become less available to abusers of prescription opioids, they often switch to heroin as it's far less expensive. "Eventually, Steven developed a heroin addiction. It consumed every part of his day for two or three years," says Joseph. Steven's low points included dropping out of school and stealing from family and friends.

The initial tragedy, Deborah Simpson's injury, had spiraled into Steven's addiction. "Fortunately, Steven realized he had a problem, and he didn't want to live that lifestyle anymore," says Joseph.

In efforts to become clean and sober, Steven went to rehab multiple times including Azure Acres in 2010, and Narconon in 2011 and 2012. Slowly, Steven beat his addiction, but it is a constant battle for him.

Joseph was angry and disappointed to discover that the prescription abuse epidemic was mostly flying under the radar, largely unaddressed by the medical and regulatory communities. "It's shocking that medications of this type are not legally mandated to be secure," he says. "If the medicines are secure, teens don't have the option of using the medicine cabinet as their drug dealer for the first time." Joseph came up with the idea for a locking prescription bottle.

Safer Lock is a four­-digit, 10,000­-combination locking prescription bottle that can be set to a patient’s preference. Without knowing the combination, no one can access the prescription inside. Safer Lock is an effective abuse deterrent for children and teens, and helps ensure that young children aren’t accidentally poisoned by powerful medications. Safer Lock exists to save lives and prevent heartaches for families.