Heroin Addicts: Methadone & Heroin Facts

Question: Should i aid my sisters heroin addicted daughter?

(Posted by: Beachdays on 2009-08-02 10:01:32)

My sisters daughter from the age of 18 has been addicted to street heroin and has been homeless now for the last two years (she's now 22). We are worried that she is prostituting herself and stealing to fund her habit. Physically she is unwell and underweight. Having failed methadone and rehabilitation programs I found myself wondering if I should offer some of my medication to stop her illegally obtaining her drugs. I am prescribed by a doctor a drug called Diamorphine for severe back pain and have been on it now for the last 14 years. Having been prescribed it professionally it has never done me any harm and I'm mentally as well as physically fine. The problem is that the medication that I'm prescribed is a cleaner version of what she takes on the street and I cant help but feel that I should offer part of my medication so she can go home and get straight. I'm not certain how much I could offer her as I have been stable at 400mg/ daily for over ten years now and am uncertain how much I could reduce within a week or so? I work as a Solicitor in London and am currently extremely over worked as it is but that is one sacrifice I would have to make. I've never broken the law and don't like the idea of doing so however this situation is extremely stress full for my sister and for all involved and I cant help but think that it would be best to relieve her of having to raise the money through illegal and dirty activities. It is not an option for my doctor to prescribe the heroin straight to her as Diamorphine is only prescribed for pain not addiction. The doctor agrees that for all the lack of side effects I've witnessed personally, it would be impossible for him to treat her due to a license being required. Any people who have been through similar experiences or have any suggestions would be gratefully heard from, Thankyou

Posted by: Sandy A, RN on 2009-08-02, 10:25:23

My heart goes out to your family. We lost my nephew to drugs just before his 22nd birthday. It is hard to watch someone on a path of self destruction. Addiction is an illness though. The hardest part is that until they make the effort to get help, there really is nothing you can do but watch and be there in the off chnce that they may actually be ready for help someday. You can't make an addict get help, it won't work. Giving her your drugs is not going to help her get better, nor will it make you or your family feel any better. All you would become is an enabler and possibly arrested because giving her your drugs would be illegal. The hardest, but best course at present is as I stated before, just be there for her if she decides she is ready for help. Addiction is a tough thing to overcome and not many can get clean and stay that way. Many have bouts of relapse for the rest of their lives. Studies are ongoing in an attempt to find better treatments, so there is hope down the road. In the meantime, you and your family can seex help from support groups for families of addicts. They can help all of you deal with feelings of guilt because you can't make her get better and they can help you realize that no one is to blame, it is a choice she made and an illness she has. Please don't break the law because it won't make her better. Please get some help to understand addiction and deal with her choices. Take care!

Posted by: Homicidal Maniac on 2009-08-02, 10:07:27

So, let me get this straight. you want to get her to stop taking drugs, by giving her more drugs?

Posted by: David on 2009-08-02, 10:08:31

If she o/ d,s, what are your responsibilities?

Posted by: u_wish_i_would_talk_2_u on 2009-08-02, 10:12:00

You're not a doctor and your rationalization could get you in trouble when she dies.

Posted by: stephanie on 2009-08-02, 10:26:43

I got over my addiction to needles(herione) and she can too...but not if u give her ur pills...yes it is a cleaner version....so it is safer...but it would only give her something else to be addicted to...and because it can be gotten as a prescriiption it is usually easier to find on most streets....i understand that her and ur family r haveing a horrible time going through this...and u only want to try and help her...but giveing her one drug to get rid of another is not the way to help...it would just make things worse...cause then she has her coice of both...if she cant get one she will go for the other...u said she failed the programs she has tried...maybe a different program...or different rehab center....i have known some people who some preograms or centers did not work but others did...maybe look for one outside ur state....maybe one of the programs through a hospital...those r usually pretty good....i wish i good give u more info....and help u more....i wish i could tell u the exact way to fix it instantly....there just is not a way....it is a long hard process.....i wish u good luck...and hope all turns out well... if u would like to talk to me or get more info....pls feel free to message me...

Posted by: why on 2009-08-02, 10:28:32

Replacing one addiction for another is never good. There will come a time when your niece will no longer be able to acquire these meds you want to provide for her. ie.. Her tolerance level has gone up so she takes more than whats prescribed and can't get a refill for a another week or no money or insurance to pay for the meds. Then what? She's back on the streets hooking or worse yet back on heroin. When she's ready to quit using and work the program she will. Until then you and your sister should go to a support group for relatives or loved ones of an addict.

Posted by: Cell Enthusiast on 2009-08-02, 10:48:26

I would not do this, because she has to hit rock bottom and realize what she is doing is permanetly damaging her body, mind and hurting her family and friends that she has. By giving her more drugs what would most likely happen is that she would become addicted to that drug as well as her heroin, heroin is an extremely addicting drug and often leads to people doing things ie: becoming homeless, and going into prostitution as you know. People become so dependent that they do ANYTHING to get it, she needs to have an intervention and you're sister (her mother) needs to get her under control, obviously something isn't right there, yes you are her aunt and thats great that you care, but you should really talk to you're sister and say do you see what is happening to you're daughter?! She is still young and still has a chance to turn her life around, she needs to hit rock bottom.

Posted by: Alice Baby on 2009-08-02, 10:53:42

I really understand where you are coming from but seriously suggest you do not do this. Contrary to popular belief it is not actually easy to get addicted to heroin, you have to work at it. Also getting clean/ staying safe is not just about getting a regular clean supply. Many addicts are also addicted to the needle, most pharmaceticals have been modified so they can not be injected. Also addicts are generally also "addicted " to the lifestyle/ people they are involved with, it's a very strange kind of love affair. Chances are if you share your meds, she will probably only go and trade them in for the actual heroin she wants. Only now you have less to control your pain and risk going to jail, with no other benefits. Also she may OD because of the strength of the street stuff vs your meds. You may wish to look at getting her treatment in Holland, they seem to have a better approach to dealing with addiction that the UK, or a budhist re-hab facility. The only thing is she has to really want to get clean, if not you are just flogging a dead horse. You can let her know you love her and will try whatever you can to support her getting clean, or at least provide her with food where you can see her eating it, but providing her with meds is not the answer in my opinion.

Posted by: The Romantic Egoist on 2009-08-02, 11:42:22

There are lots of great answers here, I'd just like to contribute to the notion of letting loved ones "reach rock bottom. " In my case, I never suffered from a drug addiction, but I did go through several periods of immense depression with self destructive behaviors associated and acted out because of it. Hitting rock bottom for me was attempting suicide, blood letting, academic and vocational suicide, and spending days alone in my room. When somebody like me was going down - the lazy behavior had nothing to do with enjoying life. It was merely a means of balancing my internal mental pessimism and pain with actual life -- I set out to make my life miserable to better deal with the emotional negativity in my head. Rock bottom in my case would have been suicide via extreme drug use (though I only drank and smoked pot on occasion, each couple of days I had to fight against the urge to commit suicide via heroin or meth OD). Family helped me. Of course you can't help your niece by providing drugs. I'd suggest really trying to get her to go to a rehab center again. And also see about getting her into therapy for the underlying issues of her self-destructive behavior. Behavioral therapy really helped me.