Should someone involve the police?
by kristin
(Texas)
Recently my sister has stolen $5,000 from my mother who is being treated for breast cancer. I believe she is she is on drugs again but cannot prove it.
My sister has been a recovering addict for about 10 months, I do not believe she has been sober for even 1 month out of it but have no proof.
She has 3 kids who would be effected by her going to jail or prison but I do not see how they are not being hurt already. I am willing to take the kids but feel like she wouldn’t let me if we turned her in.
How do you get her help without hurting the kids and when she does not want the help. She almost killed herself in an overdose and her 9 year old was the one who found her.
She has been kicked out of rehab and no one can afford to help her. What do you recommend?
She is lying, steeling, talking so fast, always figity, staying up late, has lots of mood swings, sweats a lot, losing weight, always has to run here or there and her bills are not being paid!
Many more signs but no proof.
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How Much Proof is Needed?
Have you ever heard of the term, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire?” You say you have no proof, but you have observed many of the tell-tale signs of an addict who is out of control. What kind of a person would steal from their mother who has cancer? The signs you spoke of are classic, so obviously something has to give. I also have to question the wisdom of standing idle while you know your nieces and nephews may be in danger. At the very least, call Al-anon and get their take on your situation. I recommend them because they are people just like you who are concerned about people they love. Obviously you are going to have to take some kind of action, as doing nothing is not an option. Your sister is in trouble. If she got kicked out of the treatment center, there are some serious issues going on. Get the family together and get a game plan started. Her children are a major concern, as they are the ones in the greatest jeopardy because of her out of control behavior. Child Social Services would not take this situation lightly, and I am not at all sure your sister understands how inappropriate her lifestyle is, or how dangerous it is to the kids. Law enforcement can be your friend here, so a conversation with a drug enforcement officer may offer you some insights and options. She can be given an ultimatum– get straightened out or go to jail. Sometimes that jail experience is enough to convince the person with substance use disorder that there are serious consequences to bad choices. Your sister has a diseased mind, so she may not be able to make a good decision. She is already stealing, so what comes next is probably worse. Maybe the treatment center will take her back under the right circumstances. But if everything fails, I would consider having her arrested, regardless of the consequences, as that may be the one thing that saves her life. |