At the age of 16 with his father’s death as the catalyst, Jason Sparks began experimenting with drugs.
Jason wasn’t--and isn’t-- the only underage individual to experiment with drugs.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 28.6 million people aged 12 or older used an illicit drug in the past 30 days in 2016, which corresponds to about 1 in 10 Americans overall (10.6 percent) but ranges as high as 1 in 4 for young adults aged 18 to 25.
While some are fortunate enough to put the drugs down and walk away, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that those who begin using substances earlier are more likely to develop an addiction, which is what happened to Jason.
His seemingly small choice as a 16 year old led to a seven year battle.
In those seven years, Jason had multiple run-ins with the law, leading to him being placed on probation.
The U.S. Department of Justice reports that more than 140,000 drug arrests involving juveniles were made in 2010. And, in addition to facing legal consequences, such as jail time, having a drug-related conviction can negatively impact a young person’s future--barring them from potential jobs, losing scholarships and more.
But, things began to look up for Jason. He’d been released from a rehabilitation program in Pensacola and returned to Walton County ready to start fresh.
Just a few months later, he relapsed. With failing drug tests and failing to report to his probation officer, he was in a full downward spiral.
On April 17, his mother was informed that Jason had died from a drug overdose.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, more than 4,000 young people, aged 15 to 24, died from drug overdoses.
“If you think this can't happen in your family, you are mistaken,” said his mother. “I can assure you I never imagined in a million years this would be the path I would be walking.”
For more information or resources about teen substance abuse, visit our website at http://www.waltoncountyprevention.org.