OXY ADDICTED SON
My son is addicted to oxycontin. He went to a rehab clinic for 30 days and came out clean, however, I believe he has had on and off days.
He has stolen money and jewelry to support this habit, he lost a good job and is in debt beyond belief….this has created a lot of tension and stress in our family and I do not think we deserve this.
If he leaves our home, he will have no where to go and I worry something terrible will happen to him…when we confront him about this there is denial and lots of crying and then apologies, I am frustrated and depressed because of this.
What can a family do to overcome this?
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A Family Burden
While it is good that your son got into a treatment center for 30 days, I sense from your letter that he went right back into the same environment that he was in while he was using. The drug might have been out of his system, but without the proper support of a recovery community, without a change of lifestyle, he went right back to what he was doing before. Of course he is in denial, the cycle has started all over again. The cycle has to be broken and that requires a plan for the entire family, not just your son. Al-Anon is a good source for expertise and information concerning just what a family needs to do to be a positive force in your son’s recovery. 30 days in a treatment center is good, but treatment isn’t recovery, and recovery isn’t for a period of time, it is an on going, permanent commitment to being healthy. People can relapse, especially when they go back to their old routine. Keep trying. Your son needs to understand that he can stay clean, he can lead a healthy and productive life, but he needs to go back into treatment and start again. The family needs to be a part of this, so please seek help. Try calling your doctor to get his/her advice about the best steps to get your son to quit. Your son also needs to go to AA or NA meetings EVERY DAY until he stops using and moves into recovery. Keep working with him but don’t do anything to enable his addiction. Good Luck and God Bless. |