Burnet mother’s grief spurs a new journey to stop drug abuse in the community

DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR

BURNET — In December 2011, Janet Christiansen’s life changed forever. Her son, 21-year-old Caleb Christiansen, died after apparently taking the prescription drug methadone that another man had provided to him.

Even as she grieved, the mom knew she had to do something. Something so other parents wouldn’t have to endure the pain and loss with which she was dealing. At 1 p.m. May 15 at the Burnet Community Center, 401 E. Jackson St., Christiansen and other leaders are asking the community and citizens to sign up for Join the Journey.

The program will help launch a community-wide response to the growing drug problem in the area.

“After just dealing with the extreme grief — he was 21 — I felt I had to do something,” Christiansen said. “I felt so ill-equipped to help Caleb and regretted so deeply I was not able to rescue him. I didn’t want any other family to go through this.”

Christiansen began talking to community leaders, elected officials, school representatives and pastors about the issue last summer. She discovered many people shared her concerns.

“I was very encouraged by the readiness and eagerness to recognize and do something about the drug problem in Burnet,” she said.

Through meetings and brainstorming sessions, organizers developed strategies to help address Treatment, Response, Education and Communition, or TREC for short. While there are drug-education and -prevention programs out there already, Christiansen said what sets this one apart is it is geared toward the Burnet community.

The key to making it successful is the community buying in, she added, which is one of the reasons behind the May 15 meeting. Organizers want to share what they’re doing with the rest of the community.

At the heart of Join the Journey is awareness.

Awareness that there is a drug problem. Awareness that people, including youth, use drugs. Awareness on what to look for if a loved one, relative or friend might be abusing drugs.

“I was aware there was a problem (with Caleb), and we were working through it,” she said about her son’s own battles with drugs. “He was going to (Alcoholics Anonymous.) He recognized he had a big issue. But then, he started saying he was past that and hid it. He wanted to hide or diminish the problem.”

But trying to diminish the problem doesn’t make it go away. Christiansen said her son paid the ultimate price after somebody provided him with methadone, and he overdosed on the prescription drug. The man who provided the drug to her son recently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison.

Whether illegal or prescription, Christiansen said there are things people can recognize if somebody they know and love is abusing drugs.

“I want people to recognize the things that I missed,” she said. “The kids are not prepared for the dangers. They have this, ‘nothing’s-going-to-hurt-me’ attitude. There has to be awareness for family and kids. One mistake can cost (youth) their lives.”

Christiansen’s hope is Join the Journey prevents other families from traveling a path she began Dec. 14, 2011, when her son died.

“(I want to) save other children and other mothers and families from having to deal with this lifetime of loss,” she said.

For more information, go to www.btxjourney.net.

daniel@thepicayune.com