my son is addicted to oxy

[lovemyson]

my son is addicted to oxy and is currently in a detox treatment of 60 mg of methadone a day. He has gone 5 days and is already trying to make excuses to not go tomorrow. I work 2 jobs and have limited time to take him. I will not give him money for gas as I fear he will use it on drugs(he has in the past) I saw a sore on his arm and suspect he may be shooting up,I am not sure as I have no experience with drugs. he has a boil like bump on his upper arn and a bruise above that. It really isnt by a vein it is under the sleeve of his shirt. Is it possible to shoot up with out a vein?? Please if anyone can help it would be appreciated. He is living out of his car with his girlfriend and making really bad choices. I love him,however I am not sure how to help him. I am paying for his methadone only a few days at a time so he has to be accountable and check in with me every couple of days.

[IBKleen]

Hi and Welcome!

My heart breaks for you. I know you are trying to help him; however, as it has been said..HE needs to want it! It seems that he is not ready.

In that case, you need a little "tough love". I know it is hard. My mom did it with me and it damn near killed me, but it did get me clean. He is an addict and he will use you. And, so will she. I hate to see you have your heart broken over and over, as well as your bank account.  If he doesn't go into a program, well, you just may have to let him go at some point.

Please keep us posted. Ask anything. I will pray for you all.

[lovemyson]

Your right, and when he is ready to help himself I will be here for him. I just wish he would loose the g/f as I feel she is holding him back. I fear the methadone is a cheap substitution for the oxy.  He wants to go to an outpatient program that has suboxone.(not sure what this is??) He did show up today to go to the clinic on his own, and borrowed my other sons car to get there.I have been taking him when home,however I work all day on wednesday. I just hope and pray that he will be ready soon. Thankyou to all who have taken the time to talk to me your perspective is very helpful. I dont want to loose my son to this addiction.He told me the other night he thought he was going to die as he could not wake up from a dream where he was falling off a cliff and almost hit the bottom. Maybe this is symbolic.  Thanks for the alanon suggestion,I need all the help I can get to stay strong and focused and ready to fight the fight for my sons life and my own mental health.

[bettie1976]

you can shoot up anywhere. it doesnt have to be in a vein. think about the injections the docs will give at the ER right into your hip or shoulder. Those can leave bruises. and by the way, both my TB tests done in detox programs were done on the inner part of my lower arm, between my elbow and wrist.

[No name22]

At least he's willing to try suboxone thats good...Go to suboxone.com It also is a opiate blocker so if he would try to get high off any pills it wouldn't work, but i'm not sure about heroine never went there and I've always ran the other way if I met someone on it

[beachtowel]

First of all welcome to the forum,,,,
as far as his arm is he tried to shoot the Methadone it will coagulate upon impact with blood........

your son is in bad shape and needs help......
Just to let you know I was an active addict for 37 years and have now been in recovery for 21 months........
Please be advised your choice to get your son off an opiate and on Methadone is suspect......Methadone is highly addictive and the W/Ds symtoms are worse than his original opiate W/Ds...his problem is has now been compounded for his addiction to Methadone is much stronger than the Oxycotins.......
Can you get him into a professional detox? and then straight to an inpatient drug rehab?
Quitting to use believe it or not will be the easy part even though right now you might not agree it will be the after care to prevent relapse.....the mental addiction will be very difficult to overcome......

It is at this point where your support will do him his greatest benefit.......he will fight you all the way here but if you want your son back I encourage you to try my advice.......

I know the mental anguish your going through I put my Mother through H E L L!
It was her love that helped me once I made it to recovery that helped me the most...good luck....

[GA Guy]

You will find a lot of sympathy here, because we have all done to others what your son is doing to you. Post here whenever you need support. If you just need to vent, go ahead. There are a lot of people on here with much better perspectives on this that will help you.