How Xavier Finally Got the Care He Needed to Battle His Addiction

“Xavier” was an 11^th grader arrested for bringing a small amount of drugs to school. However, this incident revealed deeper struggles with addiction that the legal system is ill-equipped to fix. By the time LCCR started working with him, Xavier had stopped attending school and had disengaged from nearly all aspects of teen life.

Xavier’s addiction is deeply rooted in trauma and instability. As a child, he lost his sister to gun violence. His mother, who has her own history with drug use, spent much of his childhood incarcerated. While his father took care of him, he refused to acknowledge Xavier’s struggles, let alone get him help. 

Recognizing that Xavier’s addiction put him at risk for incarceration, his LCCR team immediately got to work trying to find him care. Sadly, there are practically no drug treatment programs in Louisiana for teens — nearly all are geared toward adults. After several short-term programs failed to meet his complex needs, Xavier’s LCCR attorney, Eden, reached out to a friendly contact at the Louisiana Dept. of Health for advice. Through that connection, we learned that Xavier was just barely old enough to qualify for a 28-day treatment program focused specifically on substance abuse.

Xavier has been thriving in this new program. In fact, he likes it so much that he wants to stay for an extra three months because he feels it will be good for him. He worries that returning home too soon will lead to him taking pills again. 

Throughout this whole process, Eden and the rest of Xavier’s LCCR team have provided intensive, hands-on support. Their efforts have kept him out of jail. More importantly, they’ve been instrumental in bringing him stability for the first time in far too long in his young life. Currently, they’re working to secure a longer-term placement for Xavier to ensure his continued success after treatment.

Despite Xavier’s many life challenges, he has retained a positive outlook and never blames others for his problems. After he kicks his addiction and his court case closes, his goal is to finish up school and join his uncle in the plumbing business. While he still has a long road ahead of him, we’re going to continue working with him every step of the way to ensure that he gets the resources and support that he needs.