Heroin Addiction & Recovery Support Group

I am a twenty year old college student who used heroin in the past. It sounds like everything you are saying about how he is affecting you is how my own use affected me. It is a tough thing to deal with. I know my parents want to help me but I am just so depressed about all the things I have done to my family. My brother finally gave up well over a year ago and he doesn't talk to me or consider me a family member. I would advise you to stay in contact with your folks and share with them; daily. Sometimes you might just have to walk away.

Addicts take the suboxone when they can't get a fix, it keeps them from getting dope sick. When they know the can get their fix, they stop the suboxone. You brother didn't od, otherwise your mom wouldn't have been able to wake him up. He was so high that he was in more of an unconscious state from being so high. You're dad needs to stop trying to prepare you for your brother od'g. As long as you and your family keep enabling him, the longer he will continue to use. Once the enabling stops - meaning no money, no living under your parents roof if he continues to get high, no helping with anything, the whole family needs to set boundries. If your brother can't accept and live with those boundries, then he has to leave. When the loved ones continue to allow to addict to break the rules that have been set, the addict will continue to use and not follow the rules. Mean what you say and say what you mean. The sooner the family and loved ones stop the enabling allowing the addict to hit bottom, the sooner the addict will get help. It's not an easy task for the family, but a necessary one, it's heartbreaking to not beable to help, but until the addict wants help, there is nothing anyone can do for him. As the addict is addicted to drugs, the family is addicted to the addict, and all the drama, hoopla and the horrible roller coaster ride of addiction. Learn everything you can about heroin and addiction. Addicts are excellent at manipulation, lies, telling you what you want to hear, stealing from their own families to get their next fix. You and your parents need to get into alanon or naracon to get help for yourselfs. Until the addict has hit that bottom, there is nothing you can do. I know this will be hard for you to digest for awhile, but once you get into alanon and learn all you can about addiction, you will then begin to understand what you need to do. Stay strong and keep the faith. There members on DS are wonderful, you will get replies from recovering heroin addicts who will help you, from parents who kids are either in recovery or addictive heroin addicts, you are not alone, we have all walked in your shoes in one way or another. I have been on both sides of the fence, I am a recovering alcoholic/addict for 22 years, and my 24 year old son has been in recovery for heroin for 2 years. I know it's not going to be easy, and many times the addict will continue to use for many years, or go into rehab many times over the years. I wish I could tell you that it's going to get better soon, but the majority of addicts use for many years go into rehab and everything is good to go when they get out - or they get help at the onset of addiction and life is wonderful, it's a long, hard road, so learn all you can and do the alanon thing. We are glad you are here, you will get alot of great advise and help from the ds members, you can ask us anything, what one might not know another member will. Hugs

I am very sorry you are going through this. I know how you feel my son is an addict (once again in a rehab). I know you can not just turn off your feelings but you have to realize that all your worrying is not helping him and it is hurting you. All you can do is let him know you love him and if he wants help you support that decision but unfortunately there is nothing we can do. One thing that helped me was I read a lot on the subject and also attended family week at one of the rehabs. One book that is really good is An Addict In the Family. This disease takes them over, no one wants to live this life. I know how horrible this is and you will find a lot of support here. We did not have any friends who had gone through this with their kids so we were alone too. We have been trying to help my son for years and we had to stand back as he got arrested 2 times and ended up in jail. We are slowly learning it is his journey not ours. All of my tears and worrying did not stop this. He needs to hit is bottom. I wish you the best. Take care of you.

Hey, I know exactly how you feel. I too feel like i am not able to focus on my school as a master's in architecture. I am just so overwhelmed that for the last 2 months my fiance has been using heroin and i didn't know, i just knew that he was a selfish asshole. However, i'm starting to educate myself more and more about this disease, even though i know our relationship could never be salvaged. There is a new plant (not a drug)...and i guess its not really new, but it is illegal in the US. It seems that the united states wants heroin addicts to stay addicts, so they keep buying suboxone, methodone, opiateblockers opiates, etc. A long viscous battle, i'm not sure will ever end that way.

The plant is called "Ibogaine". It is a plant from Africa that is used for heroin addicts, meth, cocaine, alcohol and even CIGARETTES. What happens is you hallucinate for 30hrs under the supervision of a doctor. During this hallucination there are no withdrawal symptoms and you are forced to face your life. You begin to see yourself when you were a child, maybe how you are always walking around looking for drugs. You see the problems with yourself. It is kinda like hypnosis, but it seriously re-organizes your brain. When you come out of it, instead of feeling depressed like many addicts do coming off.. you feel uplifted and nearly disgusted with heroin! You start re-thinking how to spend your money etc, for travel plans & things that actually make you happy....
To do the treatment you have to go to Mexico or Canada, but it takes the place of YEARS of therapy.

It was on the news...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syz...

Hi there,
yesterday morning I found out my boyfriend of 4 years has been using heroin for 4 months and lieing to me that he was clean. It is so hard to believe that I didnt spot it. The psat week or so there has been clues and finally when he stole 100 dollars from me I knew it for sure. Its the worst pain I have ever felt, I am so sorry that you have to feel it too. I am envious of your love for your brother and am struggling to feel that way about the love of my life. I have so much hatred right now and feel that he is selfish even though I know this is not the case. Good luck with everything and dont give up.

I have known about Ibogaine for years and recently started posting here about it. Every heroin addict or person affected by a heroin addict should seek out the nearest ibogaine clinic or suggest/force it. Eventhough it is illegal here in the states, there are people who care enough to provide the treatment. If you have the cash, however, go ahead and fly to Mexico or England. I, and many others, simply do not have this option. Breaking one law to possible end a career of law breaking and health decline is a risk I would be willing to take. I just do not know of any clinics or people in my area that are willing to do the treatment. Suboxone and my psychiatrist, therefore, are my best options. I have finally stopped using daily but I do have an urge about every month to use. The periods of sobriety are increasing at about two additionally weeks of staying clean. Its going to take more time and compliance. More importantly, I want to live and stay healthy and off of morphine refluxed with acetic anhydride. Diacytlmorphine, is like a siren... So beautiful in its call but eats one alive.