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...

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Inpatient Treatment Finally

earlyrose
earlyrose
My son has been taking way too much hash oil and zanax and tried to hurt himself last Sunday. He landed in the locked down psych area at the hospital ER for 5 days. Today he got a bed in the psych ward at the hospital which is a wonderful improvement. There are 9 other patients, a therapist, charge nurse, and nurse always present. He signed a 14 day diversion and he already has 5 days in with his detox. Hes a smart kid, a college senior, and has emotional issues underlying the drug use. It was such a relief today to finally have him in a place where he can get healthy. He didnt permanently hurt himself, hurt anyone else or land in jail so we consider it the best of many bad scenarios. The emotional toll this has taken on my spouse and I and our daughter is heartbreaking pain that I never expected as a parent. We'll just weep in waves at unpredictable times and our sleep has been affected. We have both lost weight though in the last three weeks which is one of the positive outcomes.
jainlor
jainlor
I am so sorry for all you are going through. one day at a time will get you through. if you believe in God ask him to help you . sounds like your son is off to a good start for recovering. hugs
kimpalmer
kimpalmer
I am so sorry ... Hoping he does well in inpatient, and gets the care he needs
earlyrose
earlyrose
We learned from our attorney yesterday that to get civil guardianship our son has to have a diagnosis of bipolar, schizophrenia or manic/depressive. Oregon has strict laws to protect individual's civil rights and substance abuse is considered a personal choice. In 12 days my son will be released from the hospital psych ward and could easily wind up using again which is frightening. Unless he is a risk to hurting himself or hurting other within the next 24 hours after his 14 day voluntary diversion ends, the hospital can't hold him. Somehow between now and then he has to choose to get healthy and quit the drugs. Right now he believes the drugs were helping. There are many good inpatient and outpatient programs where we live. Hopefully my son will choose to be healthy and have a life. Otherwise the road is very dark ahead.
kimpalmer
kimpalmer
How old is your boy? It is so hard when we feel like our hands are tied .. Will pray for your son .. Hang on to hope
blueviolet725
blueviolet725
Hopefully this stay and the intensive help (and suggestions of what to do next from staff) will help him decide to go on for further help....like a rehab.
Meanwhile, you and your family need some help too....some good food, rest and maybe someone to talk to.
if the place he is at offers anything...go...my husband and I got so much help from our son's rehab.
earlyrose
earlyrose
He agreed to come home today, stay clean and sober, and enter an intensive outpatient treatment program. The medical staff said that he had drug induced psychosis and it's been 8 days since he entered the hospital. His speech is normal today and rational thought is returning. We turned a corner in the right direction. We will join some local support groups in the near future. Through this crisis with my son my family and my husband's family truly rallied and gave us support. We're not religious people but none the less I feel blessed to have my son back. This forum helped me get through the last couple of weeks.
IamDonetoday
IamDonetoday
As you know, your son is in the very early early stages of getting help, and it takes a lot of work to get onto the path of recovery. I hope he is able to get together a very structured program to help him. My son is an addict too, and he's working with a sober coach, and in the very early stages of recovery. As the coach says, you cannot recover on your own, you need to be part of a strong recovery community...I hope he's able to go to Narcotics Anonymous, make friends and ask for help. I found the people who have helped my son the most (he's been to treatment centres, therapists, psychiatrists..you name it), is other recovering addicts. Recovery from drugs is a program of action (not just thinking about it). I hope this scared him enough to want to get serious about embracing recovery...I'm glad you're going to get help...this is a gut wrenching ride for us parents. Best to you.
earlyrose
earlyrose
My son agreed to go to some local Marijuana Anonymous meetings and he'll meet other recovering addicts in his intensive outpatient program in the next two weeks. He still wants to grow his mushrooms and smoke his pot in a recreational way. Because he had blacked out several times he doesn't know yet how destructive his behavior was when he was high. We're waiting until he is more stable to talk about the past and then with a family therapist's help. So far, even though he doesn't want to be home with his parents he does know that we love him and want him to get better. There are glimmers now of his old self coming through and not the person he became in the last 2 months. We're optimistic.
kimpalmer
kimpalmer
Hi earlyrose .. How's your son doing?
Misssy2
Misssy2
Congratulations on getting him to a safe place!
Best wishes for recovery....for him...and for your family.