(ROSEVILLEPT) — Even two years later, Brad DeHaven has to turn away when he plays videos of his son shaking and writhing in pain as he experiences withdrawals from Oxycontin.
Tears still well up in the eyes of the Granite Bay father as he speaks to students about the prescription drug addiction that overtook his son’s life.
The unfinished Chevelle sitting in his garage in a posh neighborhood, the 6-foot, 2-inch, 130 pound skeletal body of his 23-year-old and the vacant stare in his son’s eyes were secrets he and his family concealed, quietly hoping things would get better.
Eventually, things reached a head and the DeHavens were able to get Brandon professional help.
Today, Brandon has about two years of sobriety behind him and a full future ahead of him, but for Brad, educating others about the addiction to drugs that can be found in their medicine cabinet has become a mission. Throughout the journey he has learned that addiction, like any disease, has to be treated by a professional, and families need to know that it’s no longer just the drugs on the street that can entangle them in addiction.