Teen hospitalized for drug use last night

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it is heroin, you need to ditch the kid ASAP.

There is no saving a heroin addict. It will just end with pain and suffering for the entire family. Change the locks and don't let him in.

ditch the kid? Wow...I have no words.

[Anonymous]

Did OP come back?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it is heroin, you need to ditch the kid ASAP.

There is no saving a heroin addict. It will just end with pain and suffering for the entire family. Change the locks and don't let him in.

You are wrong. I have family members who have been as low as you would like, who are now clean, sober and well-employed.

+1

My father was a heroin addict back in the 70s.He' been clean for nearly 40 years & has been an amazing father (& now grandfather).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it is heroin, you need to ditch the kid ASAP.

There is no saving a heroin addict. It will just end with pain and suffering for the entire family. Change the locks and don't let him in.

You are wrong. I have family members who have been as low as you would like, who are now clean, sober and well-employed.

Don't you dare tell me I don't know what its like. My 22 year old son is a heroin/multi-drug addict and has been since age 16. If I could have him alive again, I would do ANYTHING. Sadly, the truth is, as soon as he stuck a needle in his veins he was dead. The only thing you can do is kick him out, change the locks, and hold a funeral for the human being he is.

Look at the stats. The only successful method of getting 'clean' is to give them a script for suboxone or methadone, aka legal heroin, to pad the stats. That's not clean, that's just being a legal junkie.

I am very sorry about your DS. After six years of use, he is a pretty hardened addict. It is very challenging to bring hardened addicts back, I agree. At that point, users are using mostly to avoid withdrawal and are caught in a messy lifestyle dictated by the need to score drugs by whatever means including petty theft and sex for drugs.

But newer users or addicts definitely have a good chance if suitable interventions are made, and they do not need to include suboxone or methadone. How a parent deals with the early usage can be key to making the difference in whether the child gets on the road to recovery or on the road to a lost life.

Myths that get in the way of a parent making the right choices include the idea that only completely voluntary treatment works. Wrong--people in court mandated into rehab have success rates comparable to those who go voluntarily. Another damaging myth is that a person has to hit rock bottom first before treatment works. This couldn't be more wrong. Success is much higher the further away from rock bottom a person is. Another myth is that tough love is the only way to go with a child in this situation. No, you need to set boundaries and make clear to the child the boundaries are for you and are not being set "for his own good."

You set consequences for violating the boundaries and--importantly--communicate them clearly in the advance (as opposed to making them up on the spot) and follow through immediately. The latter implies you need to have a plan in place for executing the consequence long before the occasion arises. Finally, people think random drug testing is the way to go, probably because that is what work places do. No, you do regular twice a week drug testing at times agreed to in advance.

I share your distaste for the heroin replacements (use of suboxone or methadone are sometimes referred to as "harm reduction" approaches) because they substitute one addictive substance for another and they are even harder to get off of than heroin because they have a much longer half life. In addition, many addicts use these drugs in addition to heroin and view them as a backstop in case they are unable to score on a particular day. I would much rather see broader use of naltrexone, which is not addictive and, because it blocks opiate receptors, makes any opioid use futile.

If you have money, you can send your child to an accelerated detox place that will put them on a naltrexone implant; even a hardened addict would have a chance at recovery with this route.

That said it is possible to get off heroin without any medication--my child did. Not a picnic, particularly if you go the DIY detox route as we did, but possible. Narcotics Anonymous can be a God send and it is free.

[Anonymous]

OP bailed ont the thread. I wonder if this was a troll.

[Anonymous]

Maybe Op has her hands full right now and is trying to help her son.

[Anonymous]

Where is OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe Op has her hands full right now and is trying to help her son.

Exactly. The kid is more important than DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Exactly. The kid is more important than DCUM.

BLASPHEMY

[Anonymous]

She's not going to find the comfort and support she needs on this forum. There are far better forums that will help her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of the private rehab facilities, like Ashley, have substantial financial aid (scholarships) and become quite affordable when combined with insurance (which typically pays next to nothing). Start calling and ask about aid. And don't just call locally. Also call out of state and start with the big ones, like Hazleton or Betty Ford. They will help point you in the right direction if they can't help directly.

And stay AWAY from Delray Beach Florida! While it is the rehab capital of the US, the places there are more often than not scams that are nothing more than cash cows for the owners.

Hazleton and Betty Ford are big leagues. Hugely expensive, and for SERIOUS long-term addicts. Not a teen who may have been experimenting or is new to drugs. You don't go that hard for something at this age.

[b]

Wow you are so wrong and actually sound like an enabler if you think this is just teen stuff!! I've been to rehab and recommend a facility like Betty Ford or Hazeltine, not the fluffy small hippie resorts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's not going to find the comfort and support she needs on this forum. There are far better forums that will help her.

Well, someone figured it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it is heroin, you need to ditch the kid ASAP.

There is no saving a heroin addict. It will just end with pain and suffering for the entire family. Change the locks and don't let him in.

You are wrong. I have family members who have been as low as you would like, who are now clean, sober and well-employed.

Don't you dare tell me I don't know what its like. My 22 year old son is a heroin/multi-drug addict and has been since age 16. If I could have him alive again, I would do ANYTHING. Sadly, the truth is, as soon as he stuck a needle in his veins he was dead. The only thing you can do is kick him out, change the locks, and hold a funeral for the human being he is.

Look at the stats. The only successful method of getting 'clean' is to give them a script for suboxone or methadone, aka legal heroin, to pad the stats. That's not clean, that's just being a legal junkie.

I am very sorry about your DS. After six years of use, he is a pretty hardened addict. It is very challenging to bring hardened addicts back, I agree. At that point, users are using mostly to avoid withdrawal and are caught in a messy lifestyle dictated by the need to score drugs by whatever means including petty theft and sex for drugs.

But newer users or addicts definitely have a good chance if suitable interventions are made, and they do not need to include suboxone or methadone. How a parent deals with the early usage can be key to making the difference in whether the child gets on the road to recovery or on the road to a lost life.

Myths that get in the way of a parent making the right choices include the idea that only completely voluntary treatment works. Wrong--people in court mandated into rehab have success rates comparable to those who go voluntarily. Another damaging myth is that a person has to hit rock bottom first before treatment works. This couldn't be more wrong. Success is much higher the further away from rock bottom a person is. Another myth is that tough love is the only way to go with a child in this situation. No, you need to set boundaries and make clear to the child the boundaries are for you and are not being set "for his own good."

You set consequences for violating the boundaries and--importantly--communicate them clearly in the advance (as opposed to making them up on the spot) and follow through immediately. The latter implies you need to have a plan in place for executing the consequence long before the occasion arises. Finally, people think random drug testing is the way to go, probably because that is what work places do. No, you do regular twice a week drug testing at times agreed to in advance.

I share your distaste for the heroin replacements (use of suboxone or methadone are sometimes referred to as "harm reduction" approaches) because they substitute one addictive substance for another and they are even harder to get off of than heroin because they have a much longer half life. In addition, many addicts use these drugs in addition to heroin and view them as a backstop in case they are unable to score on a particular day. I would much rather see broader use of naltrexone, which is not addictive and, because it blocks opiate receptors, makes any opioid use futile.

If you have money, you can send your child to an accelerated detox place that will put them on a naltrexone implant; even a hardened addict would have a chance at recovery with this route.

That said it is possible to get off heroin without any medication--my child did. Not a picnic, particularly if you go the DIY detox route as we did, but possible. Narcotics Anonymous can be a God send and it is free.

Could you please share how the DIY detoxed worked for you please ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it is heroin, you need to ditch the kid ASAP.

There is no saving a heroin addict. It will just end with pain and suffering for the entire family. Change the locks and don't let him in.

You are wrong. I have family members who have been as low as you would like, who are now clean, sober and well-employed.

Don't you dare tell me I don't know what its like. My 22 year old son is a heroin/multi-drug addict and has been since age 16. If I could have him alive again, I would do ANYTHING. Sadly, the truth is, as soon as he stuck a needle in his veins he was dead. The only thing you can do is kick him out, change the locks, and hold a funeral for the human being he is.

Look at the stats. The only successful method of getting 'clean' is to give them a script for suboxone or methadone, aka legal heroin, to pad the stats. That's not clean, that's just being a legal junkie.

I'm really, really sorry about your son. But your story doesn't ring true for everyone. I have a family member who was a heroin addict for nine years. He started at age 14. He finally got clean and stayed clean about two years ago. He is doing great. It took inpatient care and a drastic change in his environment. But he did it. He was on methadone for about six months. He is off of everything now. He has a great job and is engaged to be married. They can recover. They have to learn to want to live more than they want the drug. Unfortunately, many just don't get there. But some do. You don't give up on children. Ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it is heroin, you need to ditch the kid ASAP.

There is no saving a heroin addict. It will just end with pain and suffering for the entire family. Change the locks and don't let him in.

You are wrong. I have family members who have been as low as you would like, who are now clean, sober and well-employed.

Don't you dare tell me I don't know what its like. My 22 year old son is a heroin/multi-drug addict and has been since age 16. If I could have him alive again, I would do ANYTHING. Sadly, the truth is, as soon as he stuck a needle in his veins he was dead. The only thing you can do is kick him out, change the locks, and hold a funeral for the human being he is.

Look at the stats. The only successful method of getting 'clean' is to give them a script for suboxone or methadone, aka legal heroin, to pad the stats. That's not clean, that's just being a legal junkie.

I'm really, really sorry about your son. But your story doesn't ring true for everyone. I have a family member who was a heroin addict for nine years. He started at age 14. He finally got clean and stayed clean about two years ago. He is doing great. It took inpatient care and a drastic change in his environment. But he did it. He was on methadone for about six months. He is off of everything now. He has a great job and is engaged to be married. They can recover. They have to learn to want to live more than they want the drug. Unfortunately, many just don't get there. But some do. You don't give up on children. Ever.

+1. Also sorry about PP's son...but the advice that if you find out your child / family member is using heroin you need to "ditch them ASAP" is dead wrong. My uncle was addicted to heroin and my husband to opiates at one point, and both recovered completely and haven't used in well over 15 years. If it were my own CHILD I would move heaven and earth to get them help early, quickly and aggressively.