Help For My Cousin?

Hello,

I just learned that my cousin is a major heroin addict. He has been injecting himself with heroin for around 2-3 months now, and has already developed enough tolerance to the point where he requires dangerously high doses of heroin to experience euphoria. He was sent to the emergency room twice in the past 3 days for breathing problems.

He used to be willing to go to rehab, but now he won't. He practically lives without a father, and his mother has no control over him.

What do you guys think his mother should do to help him? The doctors said that if he doesn't get help quick, he could die any second now. None of us want that to happen.

Edit: Also, he's bipolar. He has medication for it, but he tends to take many pills a day when he should only be taking a couple.

 

Drag his ass to rehab. Although you cannot force him have a family counseling session with him and hopefully he'll understand not only what he's doing to himself but to the rest of his family as well.

 

I wish it was that easy. The thing is, his family is poor, so they cannot afford the expensive rehabs that will keep him in no matter what.

So, the only rehab he can go to is a free one. It's a very good one (arguably better than the paid ones), but the problem is, the person has to be willing to stay there, or else they won't accept him/her.

 

Make him go cold turkey.
Tie him up and leave him stuck there, he'll scream and shout because he'll crave heroin and he'll make a giant fuss, but you have to get his system clear of needing it. He'll probably beg. You have to restrain him and make sure he doesn't use.

If you can't afford rehab for him I'd recommend that anyway..

 

He needs professionals there are alot of free places for people that need help. You just have to ask around and then convince your cousin. This is Not something you should deal with on your own.

 

Cold turkey. All that shit about needing it is a fucking lie. You will not die. Withdrawl is just your body punishing you for the damage you've done to it.

 

Yes, but I'm currently in an under-developed country (there's only one free rehab in the area), and I'm not sure how we could ever convince my cousin to go to any rehab anyways. He just doesn't want to.

This is an interesting idea. It's a little harsh, but I feel it's the only thing we can do. Somehow, if we can stop him from leaving his house for a good 2 weeks, his system should be clear of the drug, right? Maybe after that, he could think more clearly, and realize he needs to go to rehab. Problem is, how exactly would we do that? His mom has no control over him, and he has bipolar disease. Sometimes he becomes extremely aggressive.

 

I think you can die, it's just very un-common but there's been cases...
And he definitely needs to go to Rehab or go Cold Turkey as many of the others are saying. It sounds like he a has a real problem and if he doesn't stop soon he will either die from OD or end up getting his ass in jail for doing something stupid!
You seem to know a lot about his situation so GO AND HELP HIM! It sounds harsh but call the damn police if you have to... (not sure what they can do in America, but I live in the UK so it's different).

Wish you and him the best of luck

 

Cold Turkey can lead to heart failure.

 

I was addicted to opiates for 8 years and I can tell you that there isn't much you can do if he doesn't want to quit. Rehab is pretty useless honestly. They only get you off the drugs, but that doesn't mean anything, which is why so many people relapse right when they get out. The key is learning to live your life without drugs and that definitely takes a lot of time and effort. For an addict to really want to get and stay clean, they have to realize that their life is better without using. There are recovery centers that last 3-12 months and have a good success rate, but they also aren't cheap and you can't force him to go. You could keep him locked up and make him go cold turkey, but that's still pretty much the same idea as rehab and he'll probably just end up going right back to using as soon as he leaves. Also if you do make him go cold turkey, then you need to have a benzodiazepine around such as Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, etc. It's really not safe without them and it'll make everything much easier for everyone. The best thing you can do is try and convince him to go on a Methadone or Suboxone program. Though if he keeps using heroin on Methadone or Suboxone, then he'll just end up killing himself quicker. Suboxone especially since it blocks your opiate receptors, which keeps other opiates from working. Some people don't know this and end up having to do a much larger dose of heroin and end up overdosing. So no matter what you do, he still has to want to quit. Just keep talking to him. Hopefully he'll realize he needs to stop before it's too late. He's only been using for a couple months, so shit will get much worse if he continues.

 

Hey man, he only needs an inspiration in life that would let him appreciate everyday life, normal family activities, normal feelings. No one can help him right now but miracle itself. He won't be able to quit unless he finds someone that he cares(notHISMOTHER) and that loves him back.

anyway, what's a biPOLAR? =/

 

Thanks Ashaxx, and the rest of you guys. I really appreciate it. Dimethyl, you seem to have good experience with the topic. I'm printing out your post to show to my cousin's mother. She's still in disbelief about the whole thing, and I think it's about time she gets a reality check.

I just really hope that my cousin realizes that life without heroin is better. He needs to have the desire to stop. I think he believes he's already doomed for life. I believe your story, Dimethyl, can prove to him that people are able to overcome this.

Edit: Sorry, I just saw your post, aniki. Bipolar disease is when you have episodes of mania (extreme happiness), and episodes of extreme depression. People with bipolar disease generally need to take mood stabilizers for the rest of their lives, or else they can, for example, commit suicide (either during mania by "accident", such as believing he/she can fly and jumping out of a window, or during extreme depression).

 

It's not drugs that ruin people's lives, it's being without drugs. I'm not ruining mine or anybody else's life when I'm crawling around the house drooling cuz I used a little h.

 

Call intervention.