Drug Addiction Within My Family, Advice?

Question by iliketoeat: Drug addiction within my family, advice?
My little sister is 18, and has had an opioid dependence for the past two and a half to three years. She started hanging around the “wrong crowd” and began dating a guy whose entire family had the same problem including him. She cant hold a simple part time job, and she was involved in a suspicious car accident where she fractured her leg. My parents have recently made her face a decision, get help or get out. She chose to get help and she is now taking suboxone. But even that has a high risk of dependency.

This is very upsetting and I am not even able to talk to my friends about it, my mother pretends its not happening and my other sister and I both agree that shes not even close to fully realizing what shes gotten herself into. And my father knows but has no comment. My parents are good people and they mean well, but they need to stop treating her like a baby because its doing more harm than good right now. Not to mention that shes an adult, and she shouldnt be guilt tripping my parents into letting her leave the house when they are not comfortable with it. They cant say no because shes 18, but they have every right to stay awake worried all night. And on top of all of this I think my parents are separating.

Any advice on how I can be supportive from a distance so I dont lose my shit? How do I go about handeling this, considering I live with them?

Best answer:

Answer by Stray Cat
You should get her into a rehab then a halfway house far from there, for *atleast* a year if your family can afford it. rehab is expensive, but you can find reasonably priced halfway houses (like 500 a month) ussually the rehab will recommend an expensive one though. try to have her establish a new life farther (I mean far and safe) from home where shell need to take care of herself and not depend on anybody else. and don’t let her move back to where shes familiar, sorry, thats all I can say from my own experience,

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

 


 

Addiction Hotline — Drug Abuse Hotline for Parents – The Addiction Hotline was created to help Parents, Teens, Husbands and Wives, Friends or Family get help anytime day or night with one easy to use phone numb…

 

Ask Trooper Rob: Teens are susceptible to risk taking

Filed under: drug addiction help for families

As a growing problem with this age group, prescription drugs are a risk, as their frontal cortex hasn't developed fully, thus making them susceptible to risk taking. Peer pressure and easy access are also prevalent. Parents, I ask these questions of …
Read more on Sentinel-Standard

 

Maintenance, not abstinence, will save addicts' lives

Filed under: drug addiction help for families

As an addiction psychiatrist who has treated opioid addiction for more than 30 years, I applaud recent efforts to restrict inappropriate access to pain medication and to make naloxone (a medication that reverses the effect of the drugs, thus saving …
Read more on Minneapolis Star Tribune