Families & Friends Of Addicts Support Group
Addiction affects more than just the individual. This community is dedicated to the families and friends of individuals suffering from any form of addiction. Mental health professionals are increasingly considering alcoholism and addiction as diseases that flourish in and are enabled by family systems. Family members react to the addicted person with particular behavioral...
Went to my families with my son for Thanksgiving. The weekend was going wonderful until the day we left. My mother discovered that her wedding rings were missing. The only logical explanation is that my son, the addict, the liar and the thief, took them. I also found out that the last time we visited she discovered $200 in cash missing from her wallet. I'm so angry right now. I honestly am to the point that I do not care if I ever lay eyes on him again. I never thought I would say that about my own child but I mean every word of it.
Are you able to check with the local pawn shops to see if they have the rings? Your other option is to report them stolen. The police should be able to check their databases to see if anything matching that description was turned in. Then it's a question of whether to press charges.
I don't know how old your son is or anything about his addiction, but I can say that pawning jewelry and stealing from wallets is so common that it's a symptom of the disease. My own son stole from my wallet enough that I had to keep it locked up. We had to move all jewelry to safe. He also sold our CD's, DVD's, and books. I have friends whose kids have sold their electronics. They will steal anything that is not nailed down because the pull of the drug is so strong. It also makes them think with a part of their brain that doesn't understand consequences or right from wrong. It's a sickness.
Your son needs help. If he's not willing to get help, then perhaps the legal system will make him get the help he needs. If he pawned the rings and his signature is on the pawn form, he may have provided the opportunity. I was always a pushover, so my initial reaction was to use the threat of prosecution as a way of forcing him to get help. I don't know if that was the right thing to do or not. People have different opinions. You need to do what is right for you and your mother.