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Full Version: All my friends are heroin addicts
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Okay so maybe not all of them, lol.

But 6 of my closest childhood friends are, like foreal no joke.

My best friend is in jail serving a 3year sentence from robbing a lady for money. (that he was gonna use to by drugs with)

He has been in and out of jail since he was 16, He is now 24. And has a 3year old son.

Adding all the time up he has been out of jail maybe 6months since his child was born, He missed the birth. And he still has a year to go before he gets out.

Another close friend of mine lost the love of his life and his babygirl bc he seems like he would rather do heroin than be a family with them.

Recently a good friend of his (not mine) OD in a motel room and was found dead, Then him and a few others showed up to the wake high on what just killed their friend.

All of them steal from their familys, their parents, break into cars, u name it, whatever they can do that day to be able to get the drugs and get high.

Many of them go to jail detox and talk about how things will be different when they get out. They normally stay clean for a few weeks or a few months but always end up back on the dope.

Ive done all i can think of to help my friends out, Let them stay with me when they need somewhere to stay, Let them work with me and my family, Help them get into rehab, rides from rehab. Everything.

Me and my sober friends always would joke about how were gonna be on a special edition 3hour intervention episode.

I know the saying is you cant help an addicted unless they wanna help themselves, I feel they wanna help themselves. Atleast in there sober mine they do.

Anybody ever had to deal with anything like this before? Some ppl may know 1 or 2 friends that got into drugs. But i have an entire childhood of friends on drugs now.

Went from smoking weed and drinking to pills.

Then to Blow

Then to Meth

And now Heroin one of the most if not the most addictive drug there is.

What should/can i do guys? I really hate seeing my friends like this. I know im gonna get a call one day and have someone tell me so and so OD or they got shot breaking into somewhere or trying to jack someone.

So if anybody has any advice please give it.

And yes this thread is 100% legit.




tl;dr
My friends are junkies and i wanna help them.
(09-14-2012 04:16 AM)Hypnotized Tiger Wrote: [ -> ]Ive done all i can think of to help my friends out, Let them stay with me when they need somewhere to stay, Let them work with me and my family, Help them get into rehab, rides from rehab. Everything.


I know the saying is you cant help an addicted unless they wanna help themselves, I feel they wanna help themselves.

You have answered you own questions with these comments. I've been through the same things.......on both sides. Only you know when enough is enough, and only you know when that time has come. Nothing anyone can say will tell you, at least from my experience. Good luck to you and your friends.
Yeah, this is no joke. My daughter is seeing the same thing. Heroin is rampant in our area and alot of the highschool/college kids are doing it.

Oh, and for the record, there is nothing you can do. A junkie is a junkie and chances are highly unlikely they will ever recover from their addiction. Seperate from them, dont go around them, dont have anything to do with them. Yes, I know they are your "friends" but sometimes friends go down paths you cannot follow and you have to leave them to it.
(09-14-2012 06:51 AM)memtigbb Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I know they are your "friends" but sometimes friends go down paths you cannot follow and you have to leave them to it.

Wise words.
Man I used to be the detox nurse on 2nd floor medical at 201 Poplar, you talk about some pathetic, sad people, the heroin addicts lay on the floor and cry while vomitting and shitting on themselves begging for another fix. It's aweful and heroin is making a big comeback, they've made it as cheap or cheaper than weed now according to the junkies I used to take care of.
Yea, apparently this is making a big comeback, even with the younger crowd. My friend knew a kid who just recently OD...very sad.
A kid I coached several years ago just died. 21 years old. Sad.
I represented a minor on a shoplifting charge. Thought it would be cut and dry even though it was a second offense. Then the probation officer reported she dropped dirty for heroin, her mother had a warrant, they were calling child services and holding her in detention (normally an overreaction on probation and the court's part for a shoplifting, but in this case my client had no one to take her at the time; her mother had been arrested by then). Very nice young woman who without intervention will end up not realizing her full potential, not having any confidence in herself -- if she's lucky. She is just too agreeable, she will go along with anything for positive feedback. Perfect target for adult, abusive men. Heroin could have been part of that targeting and entrapment process...

I would ask people in Memphis that have extensive experience with treatment attempts with heroin, that you trust. They will give an honest assessment of best methods, and what the outcomes are. Even the best methods may not have a great outcome, but at least you're informed. I don't know if heroin has an analogous medication such as anabuse for alcohol, and I usually am wary of medication even if its non addictive. I'm assuming NA and creating a "faces or examples of heroin" isn't doing the trick. The biggest thing is you know your friends better than I do, and know what they will respond to in terms of intervention from friends and family.

The tough thing is when you realize there's nothing else I can do, anything more will be a repeat or an option that has almost no history of success... Good luck to you. You're a good friend, but at some point, it's beyond our control...
I don't have friends who are addicted, to my knowledge, but my ex-husband was an addict to cocaine. I did everything in the world to help him get help, to no avail.

As I am sure you know, addicts will lie to you, steal from you, and manipulate you every way they can.

At some point, you have to take care of yourself. Be careful and take care. It helped me to say the Serenity prayer, and pray for those in my life struggling with the demon of addiction. Many times, that is all you can do.
(09-14-2012 10:46 AM)kabluey Wrote: [ -> ]I represented a minor on a shoplifting charge. Thought it would be cut and dry even though it was a second offense. Then the probation officer reported she dropped dirty for heroin, her mother had a warrant, they were calling child services and holding her in detention (normally an overreaction on probation and the court's part for a shoplifting, but in this case my client had no one to take her at the time; her mother had been arrested by then). Very nice young woman who without intervention will end up not realizing her full potential, not having any confidence in herself -- if she's lucky. She is just too agreeable, she will go along with anything for positive feedback. Perfect target for adult, abusive men. Heroin could have been part of that targeting and entrapment process...

I would ask people in Memphis that have extensive experience with treatment attempts with heroin, that you trust. They will give an honest assessment of best methods, and what the outcomes are. Even the best methods may not have a great outcome, but at least you're informed. I don't know if heroin has an analogous medication such as anabuse for alcohol, and I usually am wary of medication even if its non addictive. I'm assuming NA and creating a "faces or examples of heroin" isn't doing the trick. The biggest thing is you know your friends better than I do, and know what they will respond to in terms of intervention from friends and family.

The tough thing is when you realize there's nothing else I can do, anything more will be a repeat or an option that has almost no history of success... Good luck to you. You're a good friend, but at some point, it's beyond our control...

Heroin is some really really bad stuff. The "medication" they give you to help is methadone. Unfortunately methadone is as bad if not worse than heroin. Methadone is as addictive as heroin but you can have some control of your life since it doesnt mess you up. Very, very few heroin addicts actually quit doing heroin. Its a sad truth.
After the vietnam war, many vets came back addicted to heroin. When I was a child, a junkie was a horror story. I would be willing to say all children of my generation had a very bad impression of heroin. Crack really hit the scene in my teenage years. Alot of people went off that cliff. The 20 somethings today were children during that drug epidemic and are now very wary of crack. Unfortunately they missed out on how bad heroin was. Throw in there that manufacturers made a concerted effort to purify heroin to the point that you can snort it. Getting someone to snort is much much easier than getting someone to use a needle. Give them enough time snorting and they will be begging for a needle.
Also you throw in there one of the biggest drug problems of our time, prescription pills. So many "soccer moms" finish their day with a valium or xanax, not to mention the percocets, vicoden, all the way up to Oxy's.
Heroin is cheaper and better than any of those. Isnt as far a leap as you might think for normal people who go to the doctor too much and developed a pill addiction to up the ante and switch to harder.
(09-14-2012 08:05 AM)Hoopla Wrote: [ -> ]
(09-14-2012 06:51 AM)memtigbb Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I know they are your "friends" but sometimes friends go down paths you cannot follow and you have to leave them to it.

Wise words.

Not just friends, relatives too. There is nothing you can do. NOTHING. You can only ruin your own life trying.
(09-14-2012 06:56 PM)TigerBill Wrote: [ -> ]
(09-14-2012 08:05 AM)Hoopla Wrote: [ -> ]
(09-14-2012 06:51 AM)memtigbb Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I know they are your "friends" but sometimes friends go down paths you cannot follow and you have to leave them to it.

Wise words.

Not just friends, relatives too. There is nothing you can do. NOTHING. You can only ruin your own life trying.

True. It's not easy. All of us get that little catch in the throat when someone says "they stuck with me through thick and thin". But each of us has to know where to draw the line. Because sometimes you MUST draw the line to keep from ruining your own life too. Knowing where that line is...well, that's the hard part. Good luck and stay strong.
(09-14-2012 09:29 PM)Hoopla Wrote: [ -> ]
(09-14-2012 06:56 PM)TigerBill Wrote: [ -> ]
(09-14-2012 08:05 AM)Hoopla Wrote: [ -> ]
(09-14-2012 06:51 AM)memtigbb Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I know they are your "friends" but sometimes friends go down paths you cannot follow and you have to leave them to it.

Wise words.

Not just friends, relatives too. There is nothing you can do. NOTHING. You can only ruin your own life trying.

True. It's not easy. All of us get that little catch in the throat when someone says "they stuck with me through thick and thin". But each of us has to know where to draw the line. Because sometimes you MUST draw the line to keep from ruining your own life too. Knowing where that line is...well, that's the hard part. Good luck and stay strong.

Yep. Painful experience speaking on my part.
Get new friends.

It seems like harsh advice but it is the only real answer. you cant care more about their lives than they do.
I think some, not all, are crying for help. Crying for intervention. And for some, no one hears their calls. Sometimes, when I'm in Memphis, I volunteer at the homeless shelter (Union Mission). I've done some kind of volunteer work in many of the cities I've lived in. I've heard some amazing stories. I understand the pain for everyone, but I think some are given up on too soon.
(09-14-2012 10:46 PM)georgiatiger Wrote: [ -> ]I think some, not all, are crying for help. Crying for intervention. And for some, no one hears their calls. Sometimes, when I'm in Memphis, I volunteer at the homeless shelter (Union Mission). I've done some kind of volunteer work in many of the cities I've lived in. I've heard some amazing stories. I understand the pain for everyone, but I think some are given up on too soon.

It's true that some people who do want help should get it, and we should support those who want to change. But in my case we spend 15+ years and tens of thousands of dollars trying to help, and it was all in vain.
(09-14-2012 10:46 PM)georgiatiger Wrote: [ -> ]I think some, not all, are crying for help. Crying for intervention. And for some, no one hears their calls. Sometimes, when I'm in Memphis, I volunteer at the homeless shelter (Union Mission). I've done some kind of volunteer work in many of the cities I've lived in. I've heard some amazing stories. I understand the pain for everyone, but I think some are given up on too soon.

Problem is, when it comes to heroin, even those who want help still cant kick it. You tie yourself up trying to help someone who isnt helpable in alot of those cases. You end up just delaying the inevitable.
I don't have any answers or advice for you, I have been lucky enough not to have friend or family with drug problems. Sounds like a very tough situation. I am sorry, but please take care of yourself. You got a lot of good advice from many people here who have been in your situation and it looks like it's pretty much comes down to the same thing....you can't help them. Again, I am really truly sorry. It is very difficult to let friends go.
I had my struggles with drugs in the early 70's and my son has struggled. If you need someone to talk to just PM me. This was a testimony done at my church, Hope, this past weekend. Danny is such an inspiration to so many people and man oh man can he sing. He's an up-front singer at Hope.





You cannot help those who dont want to be helped. Its basically that simple. I deal with detox patients daily and we have several "frequent flier" because they dont actually want the help, just help recovering from detox or court ordered.
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