first of all...DO NOT pressure support on him. he made the decision to start himself. there is no catching it early enough, if he says he just started using, hes probably lying, not to bum you out, but i just went through this. caging him in wont do any good...the main thing you are going to hear on this site is that NO ONE can make him quit until he WANTS to quit. YES people have been able to quit after just starting. BUT, heroin is HIGHLY addictive and you will have cravings pretty much forever. if he WANTS to quit, hes just going to have to learn to be stronger than the drug, and you and your family are going to have to love from a distance because this is his choice and his burden. as hard as all of this is to hear, you will hear it time and time again. if hes going into treatment and support, if hes not serious about it, then it wont be his only time...i feel for you, i really do, this is the hardest situation to be in, in my opinion its worse than death because your watching your loved one possibly kill themselves. i realllly hope he is one of the rare cases that can kick this. my love goes out to you. oh and PRAY it goes a LONG way. if your into that sort of thing...

I THINK THERE REALLY IS NO STARTING EARLY ENOUGH OR LATE ENOUGH. DOING DRUGS ANY DRUGS FOR THAT MATTER HAS GONE TO FAR. ITS NEVER TO LET TO STOP THEM BUT HE HAS TO WANT TO STOP THEM YOU CAN'T MAKE HIM. THAT IS A COMMON MISTAKE MOST PEOPLE MAKE. YOU CAN'T FORCE HELP UPON PEOPLE THEY HAVE TO WANT. IF YOU FORCE IT UPON THE PERSON THEY WILL JUST LIE ABOUT THEIR PROGRESS TO MAKE YOU HAPPY AND TO GET YOU OFF THEIR BACK. SO YOU HAVE TO STAND BACK A LITTLE BUT LET HIM KNOW YOU ARE THERE FOR HIM AND YOU WILL HELP HIM THOUGH THIS NO MATTER WHAT. I AM NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD ALLOW IT BUT JUST DON'T BE ALL OVER HIM AND ACT LIKE YOU ARE BOSSING HIM AROUND AND WHAT NOT. ITS A TOUGH SITUATION. BUT YOUR HIS PARENT AND KNOWING THAT HE HAS YOU ON HIS SIDE IS A BIG THING. I KNOW THAT HAVING PEOPLE TO SUPPORT ME MADE ME FEEL LIKE I COULD GET THROUGH IT AND I DID. I TRULY HOPE THINGS GET BETTER FOR YOU AND I WISH YOU ALL THE LUCK IN THE WORLD. HUGS TO YOU
ASHLEY

I understand that forced treatment won't help if the person is unwilling. I am told, however, that it does give the person the tools to one step closer to getting sober. And relapse is expected. I know they have to want to but the sooner you intercede on a young person, the greater the chance of their recovery.

you can intercede on your childs drug habits all you want, but that doesn't mean they are going to stop using. they can go to an outpatient program and succeed, or not. the point is that you can make him go to rehab or try your best to brainwash him into not using but it wont work. he will still use if he chooses to use. and thats just how it is. he has to want to get better. all by himself. trust me. i've been through this. i'd say talk to him and ask him what the hell he wants.

Hi there. I would love for you to email me to talk to you about this. Basically I am going through the same thing. My son started heroin at 17 but smoking pot at 12. We have tried everything, including two failed INPATIENT rehabs this last year. What everyone is saying is true no matter what you do or don't do he WILL NOT STOP until he is ready,But....with all of that said, you can't just sit back and do nothing. Because he is only 16 he is still your responsibility legally, I personally would at least have him go to treatment and hope that they help him with some coping tools. But if you ask him and he is honest and says that he doesn't want to stop then no matter how much help you offer, he will not stop.
When they are this young they are still "invinsible" so the desire to stop is usually not there. They like the feeling and haven't experienced enough of the "bad" yet to be ready to quit. THis is just my opinion. But as a mother of a young heroin addict, I would love to talk to you if you need to. It is definately the most difficult thing I have ever had to go through in my life and I thought it was going to literally kill me, but I am getting through. It is very difficult on the family adn it takes it's toll on life. If he has been using other drugs for sometime, then you have already experienced some of the pain, including thinking "oh my God, my son is smoking pot" At the time that seemed like the end of the world. As time went on and more and more drugs were introduced it got harder and harder, but alas, I am still here. He is 18 now. He is not allowed here until he is clean and sober. (another very difficult decision)..anyways I could go on and on. Feel free to email me msspecial@yahoo.com any time and I would even give you my number if you just need to talk to someone.