Heroin Addict: Methadone Detox Facts

Question: My friend is a heroin addict?

(Posted by: on 2009-11-17 14:23:42)

I have a friend whom I have fought endlessly trying to make him to quit heroin. I now discovered that he has been shooting himself with a needle for the last 3 months. If I, along with his parents, manage to force him to stop taking anything, how long should he not be taking anything until he no longer craves for heroin? your answers will surely give me some clues on how to force him to quit whether he likes it or not. thanks!

Posted by: ♥ℓσνєѕнυмвσℓ∂т♥ on 2009-11-17, 14:28:05

You cannot force him to do anything, he has to want it. Try an intervention, or even try to get him on the show. If he see's himself the way others do, that might motivate him to change. Meanwhile, get tested, IV drug users are dangerous and you can contract any number of diseases from him. Don't let his addiction take you down, too. Edit: I thought this person was your boyfriend or something, thats what I meant by getting tested.

Posted by: Dude on 2009-11-17, 14:29:27

Don't just force him to quit. Steer him towards drugs like pot or mushrooms; natural drugs that don't ruin you. And heroine is easier to quit than smoking. it's not easy to quit, and you gotta really want to quit or it won't work. So don't just take away all his drugs. it's like removing the bottom blocks on a pyramid; the damn thing will just fall over, so replace it with something equally as awesome like pot and shrooms. And don't listen to the brainwashed anti-drug propagandists; they don't know what they're talking about because all they know about drugs is scare tactics they read in those pamphlets in high school, and have no experience whatsoever with drugs.

Posted by: Brandon on 2009-11-17, 14:32:10

Don't listen to dude. Its not good to do any drugs. Just try and lower his doses of it or something. Just slowly ease him away from it.

Posted by: Lee B on 2009-11-17, 14:43:51

You cannot force someone to quit using drugs. Any credible mental health professional or substance abuse tx professional will never tell you this is possible. You can make it clear that you will not support or tolerate a person's lifestyle. Don't give money, don't give shelter, don't listen to the user's excuses and don't make excuses for them. Do let a user know what your expectations are. Let a user know you will help him/ her in pursuit of tx. For example, I will drive you to appointments, I will be available if you want to talk, I will feed your cat/ dog/ fish if you go inpatient, I will make sure your bills get paid as long as you leave me some checks or let me know how to forward money from your account(s). I know you may falter, but if you own it, I will give you a second chance. Unconditional love with a user means they can continue to be a junkie and you will continue to prop them up regardless. You can set limits such as: You are not welcome in my home any time I suspect you to be high. You will not verbally abuse me when you don't get your way. I will not tolerate threats. If I know you to be engaged in illegal behavior, I will contact law enforcement. The only way to force someone to quit using drugs is for you to give up your life and to follow that person 24/ 7. Also, when needed, you need to be willing to restrain this person. However, this is illegal, so this makes any effort to force someone to stop using drugs moot. It can be hard to watch someone self-destruct from substance use. The harder thing to accept is that no matter what you do, that person may choose not to be saved. This is reality. Substance abuse facilities do not cure people of their addiction. They simply provide an environment that is supposed to be controlled and give frameworks and information which a user might choose to heed in order to quit. Only the user will ever be able to force the user to quit. I wish you and your friend the best. Be strong and be realistic. Beware empty promises and charlatans.

Posted by: liah_nige on 2009-11-17, 14:46:48

First of all you can not force a person to stop doing drugs or what ever, as it just won't work. They have to want to give it up themselves, they must be ready to ask for help and actually except the help on their own. Rehab will depend on each person as to how well they respond and as for the craving this to will depend on how strong he is, as it will differ from person to person some manage never to go back on drugs others may go back after a week, a month, a year, or even after five years, naturally everyday is a bonus but no one can really answer this question. With the help of a good professional and support he could pretty much be just fine. But, it has to come from him, he needs to ask for the help and then he has a good chance... Goodluck and don't give up on him but take care of yourself.