Are you 100% sure your son has a dual diagnosis? Many times, when a person gets off the drugs, they're a lot different. Too many times people get on anti-depressants or psychotrophic drugs while new in recovery. They don't let themselves feel what it's like for them to be sober, without medicating with another substance, usually Dr. prescribed. The menninger clinic will over medicate him. Then he'll still have to go to a rehab to learn how to stay sober. I've been to many treatment centers, Burning tree, Starlight, The Oasis, Austin recovery, and Mark Houston recovery. The one that worked for me was Mark Houston Recovery Center. I was in there with mant dual diagnosed people. They have a psychologist on site that comes once a week, so they can hook him up. What I like about MHR is that they will medicate a person, without under medicating a person. Too many places get a person too medicated, to the point where they're shaking. Or, you have addicts who want to medicate themselves by conning Dr's to give them mind alterating substances to get high. This place doesn't do either. Also, they work directly out of the Big Book, so they're model of recovery is pretty revolutionary and old school. It's on the net at Mark Houston Recovery Center if you want to check it out. It'll be way cheaper than the menninger. One guy I was in there came directly from the menninger and told me all about menninger. It didn't sound good. Basically a ton of medication and lots of ping pong played. Doesn't sound like recovery to me.

I understand what you're going through. A couple of months ago my heroin addicted son had made a decision to detox and clean up & he did the first, oh, 36 hours at home & then it just got to be too much physically. A local pastor who has some experience with drug addicts told me to take him to an ER about 30 minutes away because they would help him. We took him in & my son's g.f. told the nurse at the check-in desk that he was a heroin addict going through withdrawal & needed help. She said, "Well, you've come to the right place." They took him back to the triage after about 30 minutes & his heart was racing so quickly & he was throwing up so violently (everyone in the ER waiting room was making grimacing faces listening to him in the next room) they went ahead and took him back to a room. I guess his heart slowed down once they got him back there. They basically left him in a room alone for an hour with no attention & you can imagine how well that went with him being in full-blown withdrawal. He got irritated & came storming out into the waiting room & told the g.f. & me we weren't staying there because they weren't doing anything for him & he wanted to leave. We got him calmed down & the g.f. went back into the room to wait with him, explaining there were life & death situations & he was just going to HAVE to wait his turn. Someone finally came in & told him there was nothing they could do for him and said, "We don't do heroin addicts here." and sent us on our way with a list of other facilities that had programs. Well, we called the pastor back & he phoned ahead to one of the hospitals ON THE LIST & they said, "Yes, we have a bed. Bring him in." We took him there & they talked to him for a few minutes & then came out & said the same thing, "We can't help you here." and sent us on our way with yet ANOTHER list & guess what? The first ER we went to was on THAT list. We ended up stopping at Walgreen's and picking up OTC anti-nausea medicine, Imodium and gatorade & going back home. Drug addicts aren't looked at as being sick, they're looked at as being a bad person, a stain on society, not worth anyone's time or attention. There isn't much help out there. Now, I did take him to a neuropsychiatrist that charged $195 CASH for his initial visit & then paid for about 5 days' worth of Subutex that cost over $10 a pill. Subsequent visits were going to be $150, plus the continued cost of $10 a pill. I couldn't afford that! Now he's been in contact with a methadone clinic and he's been put on a waiting list of 1-2 months, with the case worker telling him based on their telephone interview that his case sounds serious enough to put him toward the middle of the list rather than on the bottom. Maybe it will be 4 weeks if we're lucky. Back when my son was 15-16, I paid about $20,000 to put him in the Teen Challenge program in Bonifay, FL, hoping & praying that would help him. Today he says it just made things worse. I think it's really & truly sad that these places charge $1,000 a DAY to TRY & rehabilitate drug addicts. It's sad that a select few people are making huge profits off other people's misery. What can possibly cost $1,000 a DAY while they are in there? 3 meals, electricity, a bed to sleep in, a doctor on call who is over a multitude of people, maybe a counselling session every day? How on Earth can they justify charging so much? I truly hope you find some help. It is a very frustrating process & the outcome is so unpredictable. Best of luck to you & warmest regards.

my advice is simply this.... it won't help your boy to put him in rehab if a. he isn't ready to quit and b. he won't keep taking his meds for his mental problems after leaving rehab. i have bipolar along with other m.h issues and i'v3 been clean of crack and street smack for nearly five years but only coz i never ever forget to take my meds or within a week or 2 i also would be self medicating. another thing i've had to do is opt for a maintainence script for methadone which means i will take it for life but the way i see it is i would ratherbe on meth for life than live another day as a smack and crack addict. methadone ( along with my other meds ) allows me to maintain a normal healthy lifestyle. i too have been in jail and psych hospitals but now i'm fine. maybe it's something your son would like to consider? it doesn't mean he's failed, on the contrary i've won the fight against street drugs and crime and i was on it for 13 years.

that was my crutch, everyone told me i needed dual diagnosis. so then it became "oh i cant stop using because im bipolar" it was my way of justification.

did your son have these issues BEFORE using?

then he might actually need DD.

If these issues came on during his use, then its most likely chemically induced.

I got clean BECAUSE i went to jail, it saved my life. so im praying it does the same for him.

xoxo keep your head up

jail can have the exact opposite effect. i can't say it did me any good. i got clean coz i had no choice not because i wanted to and if you don't want it your gonna use when you come out arn't you? bipolar wasn't my crutch coz i didn't know i had it! it was only when i was diagnosed and treated that i decided to quit smack and crack coz i didn't need them anymore.