Drug Abuse Red Flags?

[3rdparty]

An AA graduate now taking daily oxycontin for "chronic pain" following multiple invasive operations is saying they will get pills by whatever means necessary...

What should we do?

[worried878]

Almost lost a friend recently who was an alcoholic originally...alcohol free for 5 years when i met her...she is a nurse and hurt her back at work//low and behold she was handed a scip for narcotics a few years ago...and she went into severe addiction quick..i never knew her when she drank...but i sure knew her when she became a pill abuser...she overdosed on sumpin//not even sure if it was intentional or if she got carried away...she now has permanent brain damage....

a substance is a substance...alcohol is a substance as r benzos and narcotic, cocaine, rystal meth and so on...it makes no difference which substances u abuse...alcohoic and addict seem like 2 separate things///substance abuser may be a better term for the whole population who abuse to escape life or for rcreation

Nicotine is a very addictive substance and affects more receptor sites than any of the above..making it hard to stop...many x alcohlics or pills users smoke..it is part of the disease of addiction...I know an x oxy user who will not even take a cold med or drink coffee...she is so afraid of any mind altering substances in her body cos she went thru hell...she goes to NA...I go to AA vs NA just cos I feel more comfy in AA...and many r cross addicted..and the principles are the same

This person is fooling themselves..they have an excuse in their mind to use again..they will most likely crash//and quite possibly very soon....as mentioned u can not help someone while this attitude is present///this person feels justified to use a substance cos of pain..u can help this person pick up the pieces when they crash...u can be there for support...but getting to deeply involved in helping someone who doesnt want help can actually harm ur own clean time...cos it is stressful as all get out..this is one ride this person will have to go alone...denial is sumpin u can not break into...protect ur own clean time

u r a good friend and this person is lucky to have u!

[CATUF]

What do you mean by an AA graduate?

What is your relationship to this person?

How long has he been on oxy, and at what level?

Is he still getting it from docs or has he turned to other means?

[Fisforfriends]

Look I learned the hard way you can't help someone who doesn't want to stop. It will hurt. You will feel powerless. Guess what? you are. Forcing someone to get help will not only cause heart ache when they do not stay clean but can also end up costing you a lot of money for treatment that is just going to get flushed down the toliet. Like avisg said he needs to be confronted and asked if he wants help if he doesn't and lives with someone. KICK HIM OUT. It's a much faster track to rock bottom that way and the only way my cousin realized this life wasn't for him. DO NOT enable. No money givin to him nothing worth any value, "any means nessisary" means stealing from friends family and himself (pawning his belongings). Try to get him help but if he doesn't want it, it wont help. I know this all ***** to hear and I cried for hours the first time I heard it but it works my cousin is 4weeks sober from a 5 year oxy (progressing to heroin) addiction. BTW telling him that oxy is synthetic heroin and that it is super dangerous might be effective but i highly dought it. Buckle up your in for one hell of a ride whether it be helping deal with withdrawls or cutting off any help for him to get drugs. Oxy is a lot harder to w/d from and to kick than alch. Be careful. you might want to concider an intervention if you find out this is SUPER out of hand but usualy that just forces people into treatment and they continue to use after they get out. Good luck!!

[avisg]

confront them explain alcohol and drug are the same thing if he abused alcohol and he is willing to get them by "any means necessary" that sure sounds like there is a problem .however he has to be willing to get help