What Is the Best Way to Cope With the Fact That You Are Losing a Sibling to Addiction?
Question by You’re Welcome!: What is the best way to cope with the fact that you are losing a sibling to addiction?
I will make this short because I realize that no one wants to read a paragraph. I have a brother that is a couple of years younger than me that I have been close to throughout much of my life and even lived with until 3.5 years ago, when I moved to another area upon landing a job. Between that time and now, he has found himself getting heavily into drugs. I am not quite sure when it got to the point to where he was shooting up everything that he can possibly shoot up, but I know that he wasn’t using anything when I lived with him and he was able to hold a job and go to school until a year ago or so. Anyways, over the last while, he has shown that he really doesn’t give a crap about anyone else. He has a nephew from me and a niece from my brother that are both under two and I could not tell you the last time to where he has checked on either of them or even pretended that he wanted to visit. He was finally arrested a week ago for possession of methamphetamine, methadone, morphine and needles and luckily was unable to remember a single phone number so no one could bail him out. In the time that he was in jail (first time in months to where I slept throughout the night without keeping an eye on phone–expecting the overdose call), I spent every winking hour looking for resources for him to go into some sort of recovery and stressing about what is to come of him. He was released yesterday on OR and will inevitably be given some sort of diversion program since California is a Prop 36 state. I know that this will not be good enough, because I have yet to have known someone who goes down this route that doesn’t find themselves going in and out of jails and court-mandated rehabs for five years. Anyways, I found a couple of live-in rehab programs that will accept him, but his plan involves going to the methadone clinic and hanging out with his buddies while having to deal with the inconvenience of going to the occasional diversion class or court appearance. I realize that he could care less about straightening out and spits out the normal junky crap about how they are in way too much pain in (insert area) to possibly be able to get clean so they need oxycontin, morphine, methadone and all of the other pain killers that are typically used for those who have actual serious and potentially terminal illnesses.
What is the best way to cope with the fact that the sibling is gone?
Best answer:
Answer by smkeller
I recommend Al Anon for you, and NA (Narcotics Anonymous) for him.
But he will need to hit bottom first, and he might die before that happens.
Until then there is little that you can do except protect yourself and your family.
Answer by ask and you shall receive
Start going to Al Anon- it is not just for close ones who are alcoholics- it is about
any close to you who are addicted. You learn the 12 steps- you have to turn him over
to his higher power and let go. It helps you get rid of the constant wanting to help, but then
are enabling the person over and over. There are meeting like every 2 hours everywhere- you
will get more understanding and support. Btw- there is a treatment for heroin addiction
naltrexone- fda approved that blocks the opiate receptors-just fyi. You are not in charge of
his path in life but knowing you are doing the healthy thing thru al anon helps.
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