Finding the right Doctor for my boyfriend?? PLEASE HELP!!!

[kelly24]

I really need some advice and help!!! My boyfriend and I have been together for over 4 years now.When we first started dating everything was good.Going into the first year of the relationship i started noticing things about him.He spent a lot of money!! he didn't care to pay his bills etc.. When I asked him he always had a answer to cover it up and stupid me believed it! Over the next couple of years it all continued to make a longs tory short I found out he is on drugs! I have known for about 3 years now.When I confront him about it he always says he is quitting or he quit he doesn't do them anymore!! Which stupid me believed him.The signs of him doing them again comes back up and it's just a continuing cycle.The past year it has gotten worse.I took contol of the money but he will borrow from others and sell things he owns.We have a four month old baby girl so I can't just leave! We had a talk last night.I told him either he is getting help for the last time or he is leaving and he is gonna loose his family!! He said he wants help.I want to believe him but I still feel like he will go back to it. Basically we know he has a bad problem with opiates and needs help.To make the matters worse his mom and dad are on crack and other close family members do oxycottin.I have told him he needs to say away from them but it's hard to say that when its his family.what should I do about that? I have been looking on the internet to find a good doctor but I don't know where to look or what to look for. We live near Knoxville, Tennessee.Can you PLEASE give me advice on what to do,where to look for treatment and what kind of Doctor to look for in his situation?Thank You.

[Jeffrey T Junig, MD PhD]

The 'gold standard' for treatment is 90 days in a residential treatment center.  Even in the best treatment centers, the treatment is only successful if the patient is truly willing to change-- and change is very difficult. More recently there is another type of treatment called 'Suboxone', a medication that almost completely removes the urge to use opiates-- again, if the person truly wants to stop using them.  The latter method is much less intense and much shorter a treatment, but requires long-term treatment with the medication in order for it to be successful.  

On the other hand, all treatments require the addict to keep using them for a long time-- including attending meetings for life.

The most important message for you to hear is that you cannot change your or make him stop using--  he has to find the desire inside himself.  I encourage you to stick to any deadlines that you have in place, and follow through with them.  I'm very sorry about your daughter, but you both will be better off without the influence of an actively-using opiate addict in your lives.