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HE IS 24 AND HAS BEEN ON DRUGS FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS, MY DAUGHTER JUST FOUND OUT HE STARTED HERION. I AM 60 YRS OLD, BUT DO NOT WORK BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY, SO I WANT HIM TO COME STAY WITH ME AND HIS GRANDPA. I'V HIDDEN ALL VALUBLES AND MEDS. I JUST READ ABOUT HOW TO HELP HIM, IS THERE AN ADDICT, WHO CAN GIVE ME MORE SUGGESTIONS, ABOUT HOW TO HELP HIM. I PICK HIM UP TODAY, HIS GIRLFRIEND THEW HIM OUT BECAUSE HE STOLE HER CHKS, AND SPENT ALL HER MONEY. I DO NOT HAVE MONEY, SO HE CANNOT DO THIS TO US. HIS GRANDPA WORKS ALL DAY, SO IT WILL BE UP TO ME. PLEASE ANY SUGGESTIONS, I LOVE AND WANT TO HELP HIM.

Posted: 05/19/2010 12:34 PM

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     Grandmother, you are putting yourself in a terrible position, and a potentially dangerous one. You may not think your grandson would do anything to harm you, and you may be right, but what about dealers that he might owe money to? I'm an addict myself, and I have seen time and again the collateral damage we can cause without even meaning to. It can be scary. As an alcoholicaddict I can tell you that when we are active in our addiction all other considerations pale next to the need for our next fix. I'm not saying don't help your grandson. I'm just saying, Be very wary, and place conditions on your help. You must establish some very clear boundaries with your grandson, complete with consequences that you are willing to back up. If he is doing heroin, chances are that he will need a 7 day detox at a hospital or qualified facility before he will even be ABLE to listen to reason and to receive your help. In addition, he will need to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings regularly {daily for a while} for the rest of his life in order to insure his success. The key to All of this is whether or not he is ready to stop. If he's not ready, there is little or nothing you can do to help. In fact, if he's not ready, you may do more harm than good. Sometimes we as addicts have to hit bottom hard enough to bounce before we are done. Sad but true. All you can do is express your willingness to help IF he truly wants help to QUIT USING DRUGS! Believe it or not, it is possible to love someone too much if you aren't careful. I wish you all the luck in the world and you and your family will be in my prayers.

Posted: 05/19/2010 1:01 PM

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Look into a state ran detox center,and see if he will go.After that look into local methadone clinics and get him signed up,sometime it takes weeks to do so.The sooner the better. Methadone will help curb his cravings and help him get on with a straight life.Now i know there is a stigma attached to methadone but it has helped me and thousands of other people lead productive and normal lives.One thing i need to mention though is none of this will work unless he is ready to quit. Encourage him and feel free to have him chat with me,i have been a herion addict since 1988,but have been clean almost 6 years. Prison got me clean and i know he doesn't want to end up there... 

Posted: 05/20/2010 3:53 PM

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 first thing, is he detoxed from heroin? if not its going to be a long tough road for him, as well as a very trying time for you. I can tell that you love your grandson very much and dont want to see him in pain. it is possible to stop using by having loved ones care for you but inpatient/outpatient rehab is the best way to go. If you dont have the means to do so there is a medication called suboxone that will alleviate the heroin withdraw symptoms. There a doctors that can prescribe it on suboxone.com. this site will list a doctor in your area. I suggest you look into this for the detox period of his recovery. most of these doctors will want to keep him coming back for a maintanence program but i advise against it. I see it as just substittuting one drug for another. Good luck with everything and dont be afraid to continue to ask questions.

Posted: 05/21/2010 12:23 AM

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