Crack addiction

[Salene]

I've never done crack or cocaine or any drug for that matter so I have no clue how this stuff controls you.  My husband is on an 8month addiction and is in REALLY bad shape.  Any one have exp with this?  CAN you get off this stuff?  Can medications be administered to help the cravings or whatever?  He is all set to go to Teen Challenge, a 1 year recovery program with a 93% recovery rate.  Anyone heard of Teen Challenge?  I've heard good things and they have been REALLY helpful so far but hubby has to GO!!!
He's on a binge right now.  he's destroyed our lives completely, bankruptcy, 2 wrecked vehicles, bad checks (which he's facing prosecution over), all kinds of things in pawn..list goes on.  I'm tired of it but wanted to know besides ditching him (we've been together 13 years and I'm sticking by him but trying to "detach with love" if that is even possible!) what can I do if anything to help get him help. I know he must want it and I believe he sincerely does.  He has always been a real homebody, loves family, our kids and life together.  He just got mixed up with WRONG friends.  I know he's miserable but I guess that is not enough to quit?  I'm just tired and confused and looking for advice and help. How do you help someone like this? I'm confused with the whole "enabling" thing... THANKS everyone...
JSM

[wait2long]

hey all...this is an extremely old post from 2002, your post might get overlooked here, it would be best if you go to the bottom of the page and click on "back to forum" and re-post your questions, you will get more results this way. GL to you!

[checkmeout]

WHAT?!!! Turn them in!  No doubt!  Right away!  Call child protective services.  Now wouldn't you feel slightly responsible if something terrible happened to those kids.  Don't confront a crackhead unless you know them well.  Like family.  You don't know what they're capable of.  Obviously.

[JustWondering629]

I had suspected my neighbours were on some kind of drug...but New Year's Eve I saw something I have never seen before. The woman was moving crazy, she wasn't making sense...like well crackhead. For some reason I thought it was meth. Well I babysit their kids and clean house for them. They don't clean up after themselves at all. I am talking sometimes not even flushing the toilet. I felt sorry for the kids so that's why I started cleaning.
Anyway, the called into work 3 days in a row a stayed out. The 3 and 4 year old are over here even when their parents are home. (I have 3 girls of my own.) Well today cleaning I found a silver plate with a brillo pad on it, with residue. I called my Mom she said it sounds like crack...I looked it up on the Net and it says they use it for a filter. Now I don't know what to do!!! We just bought this house, have been here for only 2 months. But I am scared for the kids, but at the same time don't want to see them get lost in the system. Should I talk to the parents and let them know I know what's really going on, and hope they get help or should I just report them? I talked to the 4 year old and asked him if he's ever seen them smoke from something shiney, and he said glass. Also the 4 year old has found and watched porn. He told me. I am scared to report them, them living right next door. This is awful. The only saving grace is that their kids are with me all the time.

[HOPING_AND_PRAYING]

WELL THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HERE AND I RECENTLY FOUND OUT MY HUSBAND IS ON CRACK OUR LIVES HAVE BEEN A LIVING HELL FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS AND HE DOESN'T SEE IT DENIES EVERYTHING AND CONTINUALLY LIES ABOUT IT I FOUND HIM IN A MOTEL WITH ANOTHER WOMAN HE SAYS NOTHING HAPPENED RIGHT!!! WELL I HAVE DECIDE TO TRY AND HELP HIM GET CLEAN I GUESS WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MEAN TIME LIFE CONTINUES TO BE HELL HE HAS ONLY BEEN CLEAN 3 DAYS CAN SOMEONE TELL ME IS THAT A START

[jia]

I'm engaged to an addict- his original addiction was heroin( before my time) then speed, which I didn't know at the time.  I know what you all must think- how could I have not known?  In the past 8 months or so, we've been through hell.  I gave him a drug test months ago which tested positive for speed & cocaine.  He denied it- said the test was wrong.  Since I didn't think crack was his thing, and he seemed better, I looked to another direction- I thought he might have been bi-polar, and all the symptoms fit.  Now I'm pretty convinced I didn't recognize the signs of crack usage.  In light of recent rumors from another "tweeker" (woman), I don't even know if he has been faithful.  Normally, it wouldn't even be a question in my mind.  I have never done drugs, never been around of them.  My question is - does crack "make" and addict do things that he otherwise wouldn't do?  Including sleeping with a woman that he would be absolutely physically  and mentally revolted with otherwise?  He is denying everything, are his symptoms indicative of drug usage, and if he is using, how can I get him help if he denies a problem?

[jia]

I'm engaged to an addict- his original addiction was heroin( before my time) then speed, which I didn't know at the time.  I know what you all must think- how could I have not known?  In the past 8 months or so, we've been through hell.  I gave him a drug test months ago which tested positive for speed & cocaine.  He denied it- said the test was wrong.  Since I didn't think crack was his thing, and he seemed better, I looked to another direction- I thought he might have been bi-polar, and all the symptoms fit.  Now I'm pretty convinced I didn't recognize the signs of crack usage.  In light of recent rumors from another "tweeker" (woman), I don't even know if he has been faithful.  Normally, it wouldn't even be a question in my mind.  I have never done drugs, never been around of them.  My question is - does crack "make" and addict do things that he otherwise wouldn't do?  Including sleeping with a woman that he would be absolutely physically  and mentally revolted with otherwise?  He is denying everything, are his symptoms indicative of drug usage, and if he is using, how can I get him help if he denies a problem?

[STARLIGHT23]

Hi. I am going through  the same thing, except my fiance is in rehab as we speak. He seems to be doing well with the NA program, but I will really not know how much it helped until he gets back into the real world. He's not on any medications for the cravings, but just being around people who are going through the same thing seems to help alot. I think the main thing is that he has to want to stop, not just the crack, but the lifestyle of a crackhead. I honestly believe that he is going to have to hit rock bottom and I know it's hard, but you have to be tough. I know you want to be supportive, but you have to be firm. At the rehab center that my fiance is at that is what they told me. You have to let him go in order to get him back. Living with a crackhead is the hardest thing I have ever done. It took over my whole life and I didn't even know he was on it. After he gets out of rehab in a few days he will go straight to jail to turn himself in. This is hard for me because I want to save him, but I can't. I feel like this is the rock bottom thing for him and I will stand by him and support him through this, but not save him. I know your question was about medications, but I just thought maybe this would help. I'll include your family in my prayers as well. Good luck.

[Salene]

Thanks for the posts and encouragement everyone.  Skipper I looked up that drug on the internet, bromocriptine, and it is said the use is to keep postpartum women from lactating and is used for Parkinson's disease...I will ask our doc about it though.  If hubby ever comes home.  He left last Tuesday for a 2:30 hair cut appt and STILL has not come home.  He has never been gone on a 'binge' this long before and I'm starting to get very frightened.  NO ONE has heard or seen him.  THIS is what scares me the most.  What could have happened you know?  All I can do is pray and wait.  Wait on him to come around, if he does, and then get him into treatment.  Alexandra, I'm so glad you kicked the drugs!! It is sad how that stuff just destroys your life.  I know that he will come around when he is exhausted, physically, emotionally AND has no way to get it.  However, he has gotten in with some dealers before who for the use of his truck got him high for free.  but I know that won't last forever.  He usually pisses someone off or drives people crazy.  He has that knack even when he is not high!  THANKS so much for listening and letting me come here for advice and help.

[alexandra_r]

Hi--I've run the gamut of different addictions, and took my turn with crack quite a long time ago.  I started doing crack after I was put on methadone maintenance, which blocked my ability to feel heroin in a way that was satisfying to an addict.   What I know is this--crack is harder than powder cocaine to quit doing--I did things to "score" crack that I have never done with any of my other addictions.  The reason is this--the crack high is very intense and short-lived; basically it gives a strong euphoric high for a very short time, after which, depression sets in that is only alleviated by more crack.  Smoking cocaine gets it into your bloodstream faster than shooting it because of all the blood vessels in a person's lungs.  The high from shooting cocaine comes on in about 10 seconds, when you inhale it through smoking, it only takes 2 - 3 seconds.  

The physical withdrawal from crack is much less intense than from opiates, but I think the psychological addiction is stronger.  I don't think I could have quit doing crack without the help of a treatment program (it was a residential one that I couldn't leave).  Even after I left, after 3 months of being clean, I still craved crack.  The good news is this--I have not done crack for over 10 years and have absolutely NO desire to ever do it again!  

I hope your husband finds the help he needs--I will send a couple up for him.  One other thing--I only stopped doing heroin and crack after all my resources were dried up--that is, all my enablers stopped enabling me.  When you hit rock bottom, there's only one direction you can go.

[tex3]

Hi and welcome. It sounds like you're doing everything right. You might encourage your husband to visit here, too. Be very frank about what his drug use has done to you personally, how it's made you feel. If he really is ready he'll do something about it; if he's not, getting hit in the face everyday with how he's hurting not just himself but you, as well, might push him along. In the end, I had to want to quit for myself but knowing the damage I did to my family helped me want that. Make sense? I think with speed his biggest problem will be the cravings, but if he can get past those first weeks and stick to it, he's got a good shot, especially with a supportive spouse like you.
You mentioned he's involved with bad friends. That will have to change. He won't be able to be around drugs. It's very important to change the environment that got him into this, and so first he needs to get these friends out of his life. I had no friends who used but my situation was so stressful that it really contributed to my usage. We moved to a new town and being away from all that has helped.
Again, welcome and best of luck.
tracy

[skipper]

JSM:
welcome to the forum. there will always be room for just one more
addict (or their spouse)!

coke and it's variations can be real tough nuts to crack... i don't know much about this , but i heard that a drug called Bromo-crytine (the spelling could be wrong here!) is being used with noticeable success. like i said i don't know to much about this but if memory serves me, bromo-cryptine (i believe an anti seisure drug) has demonstrated good results in reducing the craveings that coke, amphetamines, opiates, and (believe it or not) nicotine. sounds to good to be true...but it might be worth- while checking it out!

i very much admire your decision to try to stand by your husband
and will pray that someday he can be thankful for your brave and
unselfish commitment. hippy had good advice about support groups
such as alanon. i believe the first benefit you would realise is
the comfort of knowing you are not alone...at this point in my life the only other addict i know of who is blessed with a wife like you is me. i'm sure there are more than that, and you will soon (i hope) discover that there are many more.

please keep posting and keep an angel on your shoulder!
kip

[hippy]

i hope you are well, my name is michael, and i am an addict,
i have been clean for the last 3 months off of pain med's.
I known  nar-anon is a place where famly member's of addict's can go for help. they have weekly meetings where they get together and share thier experence and situations.
they also have chat lines on the internet. there address is
www.onlinerecovery.org/co/nfg

as far as getting help for your husband there are detox's and rehab's if he is ready.
and there is also N.A  narcotic's anonymous meetings .
the address to get in touch with them is
www.na.org/phonelin-toc.htm

i have known people on crack and it is a tough situation with all the lies and and paranoia. people in that situation need help the sooner the better.

keep  posting and our prayers are with you.