Lorin is the father of Ian S., a successful graduate of Turnbridge’s drug treatment program. Despite years of tension and anger from Ian, and a cross-country ordeal, the family is now on good terms and Ian is taking the necessary steps to maintain a healthy and productive life. According to Lorin, Ian began to show signs of addiction and substance abuse during his high school years. “He played with a little bit of everything,” Lorin said. “It had probably been in development since his sophomore year and we just weren’t aware of the extent of it.” Ian began to drink and use synthetic drugs on a regular basis. He was prone to explosive outbursts of anger even before he began to use. There were several threats to run away, after which he would disappear for a weekend without telling his father or mother, Virginia. “It was rough all the way around,” Lorin said. “Dealing with Ian’s altered state of consciousness and him skipping out on school. Physically there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t restrain him, or lock him in his room; that’s the frustrating part as parents. He totaled one of our cars. There was no means of negotiating, nothing we could take away or give. He had no sense of reward. At times it was difficult for me because he was provoking fights and it took a lot of personal restraint on my part. We never knew one day or the next, when he left if he was coming back. It was extremely testing for my wife and me.” Continued drug use exacerbated Ian’s issues with his family, and his desire to leave home culminated in an ordeal that stretched across the country to California. According to Lorin, “Ian and two other young men, an adult and a minor, took off in a stolen car to California for a number of days.” With the help of friends, law enforcement, and their cell phone company, Lorin and Virginia were able to pinpoint Ian’s location and eventually made contact. Lorin spoke with Ian and persuaded him to break away from the group. He was eventually picked up by Orange County police officers and taken to a halfway house. Memorial Day Weekend 2011 marked the beginning of the recovery process for both Ian and his family. After a counseling session with his former psychologist, Ian agreed to enter drug rehab. According to Lorin, Ian is “smart, resistant and able to talk a good line.” Lorin felt these traits were counterproductive in the recovery process. Virginia’s brother-in-law recommended the Caron Treatment Center in Pennsylvania for additional help, and Ian agreed to go. Ian began to understand the severity of his condition during his stay at Caron. “He realized that he wasn’t ready to come home,” Lorin said. “Thirty days was not enough. It would be too easy to fall back into old patterns and that was Ian’s overview of the situation.” Ian eventually stayed almost ninety days at Caron, with a brief interlude at Blackwater in Virginia. The staff at Caron recommended long term drug rehab at Turnbridge in New Haven and Ian entered the program in late August, 2011. Ian “took a good initiative” while in Turnbridge and his successful recovery efforts have been greatly aided by the extended nature of Turnbridge’s program. Despite the trying times, Ian is on the right path. According to Lorin, “the hardest part is regaining trust.” Throughout his time at Caron and Turnbridge, Lorin and Virginia could see Ian making changes and they started to regain their confidence and trust in their son. “Ian has worked really hard,” Lorin said. “We can be direct with him about our feelings and he doesn’t fly off the handle. We can have a direct conversation and we don’t have to tiptoe around him emotionally anymore. I think that’s a huge marker of success.” Ian successfully graduated from Turnbridge Extended Care Sober Living in the spring of 2012 and is currently in the automotive program at Penn Tech. “He’s doing really well in school,” Lorin said. “He’s smart and has figured out how to study, get his work done, and manage his time. He made Dean’s list first semester, and may make it again second semester.”