"what can a family member do to help in the life-long prevention?"
i understand that you want to do everything you can to help your son. i have three addicted sons...so i DO understand.
the thing that took me a loooooong time to understand is that my sons have to own their adddiction in order to own their sobriety. as hard as it is...give that responsibility back to him.
That's a great question. We addicts have a disease, our brains our wired all wrong! The best bet is to have the person go to na meetings where he can learn from recovering addicts who understand what that person is dealing with.Help him find an na meeting and even atend one with em. Best of luck it was all the difference for me. IM me and i can go in to more detail bout them. Trust me.
I know the disease. My mom died in a bottle. That's why I am trying to understand. She thought committing suicide was glorious. I told her I wouldn't think of it that way but as more of a coward for not trying to pick herself up by the bootstraps. I always showed her love without judgement. Always trying to embrace her and being turned away. I guess in the end she wasn't strong enough...which brings me to a point with my son...he wants help...he's admitted the usuage...has four friends that died in college....
If he doens't want the family members to know, which they do because of his actions and stumbling...at least he's receptive to counselling. We are doing as much in patient as we can by not leaving him alone...but his girlfried left him alone and now he got the Somas...
Congrats on all your days...