addiction

[payton76244]

My daughter is 31 yrs old and has been a heroin addict since 15 yrs old. 1 yr ago she got clean due to jail for 6 mos./court ordered rehab for 6 mos. she has been out since June and in sober living houses.  She has had 2 jobs since June she worked 1to2 days on each and quits and has literally moved every week since June to different sober living house with the exception of 1 month when she was in a homeless shelter but was terminated because she did not follow rules.  She has been in jail in August, September, October for 2,3,7 days due to not following rules of the probation guidelines. she recently got assaulted on the streets, the guy stole her money nothing else-she had a concussion and damaged 5 nerves in the face which would heal in a week. She is running around with a guy who had been in the program for court ordered rehab and was released to a home that is for individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS-when I met him I asked her if she liked him as in a relationship, she told me yes-I confronted her to the fact he had come from this facility and she was being wreckless if she was sexually active even with condoms.  I am concerned about her well being& ability to turn her life around and becoming a productive citizen in society who abides by the rules/laws and is careful about her safety.  She has responsibilites with 2 children 5 yrs old and 11 yrs old whom I am raising.  Is this common & will she ever get it together, what will it take?      

[Lost_in_Love]

Sorry to say this, but your daughter is obviously following the beat of her own drum. I'm sure it must be difficult to have a child that has become so detrimental to her own life. I know you mentioned her addiction, but does she have any mental illnesses? If she has any that are left untreated, she could unknowingly make some terrible choices. I'm concerned about her because of her recklessness with this man who may have HIV/AIDS. Not saying it is wrong to care for someone with that illness, but to become sexually involved is a very risky chance...

This might sound brash, but honestly what I would do, if I were her mother, would ask her some serious questions and let her answer each one. I would start off by telling her not to tell me what I want to hear, but to tell me how she really feels.

Why do you continue down this path of destruction?
How can I help you make this better?
What are your children going to think of their mother if she keeps making poor choices?
Do you know what HIV/AIDS are? And do you know how that would affect your life?

Good luck to you, I wish you and your family well.