I need help

[sisi150]

hello...i have a younger brother who is totally addicted to lortabs...he is in need of help to get off them but is very afraid so he says because of back pain that he has had for a number of years...I have been trying in vain for a few years now to convince him that he needs to detox from them and get into a suboxone program and have failed in convincing him..I dont think he is honest about how many he is taking but he says he takes about 8  pills...I imagine 7.5 or the 10's a day...he has sought out doctors to get them and convinces them that he needs them as he is a a great deal of "pain"...he has been on them for about 10 years now since he was in an automobile accident...he tells me he is afraid if he goes to a suboxone doctor he will be cut off forever from the lortabs if he fails and wants to go back on them (the lortabs)to me these are all excuses to stay on the drug and I feel he is afraid to get off of them for fear he will go through a bad experience..I ve tried to convince him that the suboxone will help...is there anyone out there that can help me in trying to convince him to get off the Lortabs? I would much appreciate any help at all and thank you in advance for any advice you can give me to forward to my brother...
                                                   Sincerely
                                                     Sisi150

[brownsugabear]

Hello,
I completely understand what you are talking but I can also understand where your brother is coming from. I too have chronic pain (irreversable nerve damage) and have been told I will suffer from this for the rest of my life. It's easier to look from the outside and think it may be in your brothers head but from a person that is going through it I know exactly what he is saying. And although he is in a struggle with should I get off and go to something less or should i stay on risk the consequences of my addictions. As much as you want to think it's excuses try to see it from his side that it may not be that.
That being said my boyfriend is now going through recovery for drug and alcohol addiction. You have to remember being an addict is a disease and just like any disease it takes time to overcome and heal from it. I have been trying for nearly 3 yrs to get my boyfirend into rehab and no matter what I said nothing helped. Once he was ready to do it on his own then was he able to get the help he actually needed to combat his addiction. He had to realize he had a problem and 2nd want to actually get help for that addiction. Your brother needs to come to that realization and until he does his fears will be realized. No matter how much you may want him to quit and see it your way, he has to want it for himself and not for anyone else. Because if he does it because he feels he is being pressured into it he may relapse and then start doing it in secrecy in fear of you judging and making him feel worse than he already does. The only way you can convince him is to stand by his side no matter what and let him know when he is truly ready you will be there for him every step of the way. Look at it like this, when ppl have cancer we stand by them every step of the way until the are in remission. However when we have someone that is an addict we throw our hands up and walk away from them. What we fail to realize this is a disease just like the cancer that is trying to eat away at everything good about us. And just like the person who is fighing for their life with cancer so is the person that is an addict. Just because we cant see what it is that is tearing away at the person that's an addict they still do have a disease. And they still need our strength to help them get through days when they are weak. And once they are better still continue to be their biggest supporter once they come through the darkness. I know exactly how you feel and what you are going through and I will pray for you and your brother to make it through this troubling time. Just know this is as hard for him as it is for you. To you it may seem like excuses but for him it is his reality. If you ever need to talk I am here for you chica and I can give you more info about my situation. I hope this helps you out at least a little.Just know there is no magic word to get someone off the road to addiction. But your love ansd support will help them stay off. Keep the lines of communication open no matter if you agree with what they are saying or not. Stay strong and remember you are not alone.

[fedupofitall]

hi sisi just read your message..i am too in the same boat..i suffer from severe sciattica and i was prescribed oxycontin and they were a godsend at first then i had to start taking more and more to combat the pain and now i,m hooked i,m suffering all the time with the back pain and the side effecxts of the tablets..i wish i could help you but i,m the samem as your brother only difference is i would and i am going to see the doctor first thing tommorow to get help...your brother has got to admit it to himself that he,s addicted like me...then he can start on the road to recovery..i,m hoping to do just that as i dont want to go any deeper over my head than i already am...i feel sorry for you and your brother and i know what you are going through.