Drug Addict Dad/Alcoholic

[Unregistered]

I just turned 17 Dec.1 my situation is awful very long I'll keep it short, my dad is a alcoholic/drug addicted and I think my mom is also a drug addicted not sure tho but 100% my dad she says she's trying to get home apartment but she's full of it no job and keeps hanging out with my dad when's he's doing drugs down stairs! anyways DCF I think is already involved because my mom just about a year ago had a baby and they found cocaine and her system luckily nothing was wrong with baby so he lives with my aunt know, my house is disgusting my dad currently doesent work last was before thanksgiving my mom works like 2 times a week we poor I don't want to live with my dad anymore he's not going to change his ways he's addicted to drugs and it shows he is VERY dilutional and parinoid he thinks my mom his hiding people in the house and f****** them for crack and when there down stairs doing drugs I don't know if my mom does it she says he makes her sit down there with him, I told her to come in my room where she has to sleep cause my dad will just bother her and touch her, but she says she doesent want to bother me when I hear them yelling and my dad threatening to smack her etc. it is an abusive relationship like 3 weak ago my dad made my mom go to the store to buy beer and when they got back my mom got back first and she had a many scratches and was cut up in her back there were in the woods drinking and my dad got mad and pushes her onto a rock and she got hurt badly and said she was lucky to live and later that same week he came into my room chasing my mom swinging a pipe and hit my cause I was protecting my mom, it was not that bad I came close to knocking him out and f****** killing his dead beat ass I hate him so much and he is the reason why i flunked freshmen year of HighSchool and almost my that year retaking it now school is all I care about I just want to get my education I got a second chance to by doing credit recovery on the PC in school and tuned my grades around I just can't live or be around my father and his drug addicts friends and all the drug dealers in and out of my house all night long him and my mom fighting his delusion accusations are insane few weeks ago he was so convinced people and my mom where giving him fake crack he came into my room and asked me if I had balls and would try it then my older brother who is 19 and dropped outa HighSchool and now sleeps all day, which is probably cause of my parents.
!!!!!!!! (REALLY LONG DESCRIPTION SKIP HERE FOR SUM UP) !!!!!
i just want to know what would happen if I called DCF or what there called and told the guy that. I don't want to live with my
father anymore he hurts my mom and I've gotten so close to almost f****** bashing his skull him but it's not worth it, I would have called weeks ago just I don't know since I'm 17 also I live in COnnecticut I thought there's a place where I can go just it finish school and they will transport me and everything school is all I have left atleast to me that I can make something out of my life give it meaning siting in this crack house as made me going insane I love my mom f*** my dad he ruined my life but I still have dreams and this is just a bump I just need some help on what to do so I don't go crazy it's only going to get worse so what options does a 17 year old kid have ?

[ccsmod13]

RE: Drug Addict Dad/Alcoholic

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline and sharing with us some of your story. It sounds like home is not a safe environment for you and your mom. It also sounds like you are worried for your mom, it must be difficult for you to see her being mistreated by dad. No one deserves to be in a home that is not safe. You deserve to be in a home that is supportive and wanting success for you as much as you do for yourself. We think it is great that you have reached out to us in trying to come up with a plan.

You had mentioned that you wanted to file an Abuse Report with your DCFS. This is an option you have regardless of your age. Your parents are legally responsible for you until you turn 18, this means that they are also responsible for providing you with a safe place to stay. If you feel your home is not safe, you can call Child Help USA 1800.422.4453 and they can connect you to make an abuse report. Another option you have is to call us on our hotline at 1800.786.2929 and we can make the abuse report for you or with you. These are some options you have in terms of reporting the mistreatment that is going on at your house.

We are not legal experts here at NRS but we can speak in general terms. Generally, running away is not a criminal offense, it is a status offense. This means that you are not allowed to leave without your legal guardian’s permission. If you do not know who your legal guardian is, one way to find out is to think about who enrolled you in school, or who signed medical documents or consent forms for school. So, if you were to leave without your legal guardians consent then they would be able to file a runaway report on you. This lets police know that your legal guardian cannot be held legally responsible for you because you have left without consent. Generally, if the police were to find you then they would bring you back home. As you mentioned you do not feel safe at home, in this case if the police are aware that you do not feel safe then they may provide you with other services to help you. It is also good to be aware that anyone that you decide to stay with, family or friend, if the police find you at their house, your legal guardians may or may not have the option of charging that person with harboring a runaway.

However, 17 is a tricky age and it really depends on your local police department on how they would handle a 17 year old runaway that is in your situation. One option you have is to call your local police and to ask them in general terms what would happen to a 17 year old that ran away.

You also mentioned that you want to continue to go to school. If you’re legal guardians were to file a runaway report, and your school is aware of it then the school will have to let your legal guardians know of your whereabouts. One resource I can offer you is to look into the McKinney Vento Act. This allows youth to enroll in school without their parents’ consent. If you want more information about this law you can go to http://www.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/youth.pdf. You will need to get in touch with the Homeless Youth Liaison in order to enroll into school under this act. For information about state coordinators you can go to http://www.serve.org/nche/states/state_resources.php to find yours for your state.

Some other resources we can give you is the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1800.799.7233 and the Alcohol & Drug Helpline at 1206.722.3700. These are some hotlines that you and your mom could call when you are needing someone to talk to during these hard times with your dad. We understand your frustration with him and that you are concerned for you and your mother’s safety.

We hoped this helped and we encourage you to call us on our hotline at 1800.786.2929 to discuss your situation in greater detail. You can also chat with us from 4:30pm-11:30pm CST everyday as well. Again, we hoped this helped and we look forward to hearing from you.

NRS