by LyinEyes 16 Replies latest jw friends
Your friend might want to try "Ibogaine" it has a good success rate in treating many different drug addictions here are a few links:
This one is a treatment center in Tijuana Mexico http://www.detoxnaturally.com/treatmentcenter.php
Public radio article:http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1652207&nav=5D7iKvRG
Some more info :http://www.ibogaine-therapy.net/press_detail.php?press_id=6
Thanks for the links Frankie, I am going to look them up before I head off to bed.......I appreciate it.....hugs Dede
Dede, in the past couple of months one of the major networks had a piece on meth addiction on their morning news show(the one with Katie Couric). One encouraging point they made is that the recovery rate for meth addicition is higher than they thought at first. They pointed out that when crack cocaine first hit, they thought only a small percentage recovered with any success. Now, thankfully they have discovered that the recovery rate for crack is higher than they at first dreamed possible. They said that the same is true of meth addiction: at first they thought the percentage of people successfully getting and staying clean would be very low. Now they are finding that with higher numbers of addicts, it's possible to detox from meth and stay clean.
Of course this all depends on the individual, their make up, their motivation, the program(s) they go through and the ongoing treatment, support and love they receive.
I hope very much that your friend is one of those who can detox and stay clean.
How tragic for your friend. I am sorry that you have to watch your loved one on such a self destructive path.
I have never been addicted to an illegal substance, but I was married to a 'deathly alcoholic' who was in and out of many recovery centers for many years before we finally divorced. Then my first girlfriend after my divorce turned out to be a 'deathly crack addict'. (Is there a trend here?)
What I quickly learned is that I was attracted to individuals that had addictive personalities... and what's worse is that many of my attitudes and behaviors enabled them to continue with their addiction. I had to take a pretty good look at myself and change my social circle. Believe me - it was not easy to remove myself from unhealthy people! What surprised me was that many of these unhealthy people were JW's! Figure that one out!
Please remember this: (I learned this the hard way!) As an adult you may love (!!) this friend of yours... but your FIRST priority is to protect your children and yourself from the destructive behavior of the addict. (ie. drinking and driving... druggie homes... unwanted or untrustworthy visitors in your home... your belongings and bank account! ... etc etc) If you can safely love your friend while protecting yourself and your children... then go ahead. But be careful. There is very little that will keep an addict from their drug of choice.
Also: you can make yourself SICK if you allow their problem to become your problem! They are an adult! I personally had to simply... accept their choice... To accept that - hurt me so much! My efforts to 'fix' them cost me years of my life and honestly: hundreds of thousands of dollars! And I have nothing to show for it - exept the words in this message.
If YOU think your friend is the only one with a challenge here (as difficult an addiction that it may be), I assure you: this experience will give you many sleepless and tearful nights for you to handle. Please re read my comments above. They were hard and painful lessons that took me years to figure out. It may sound very heartless - but my 15 year experience has brought me to the point where I wouldn't ever try and save an addict again. My life comes first - and you can't make me feel guilty for admitting it.
NOdenial...
Have you heard of any medications that doctors can prescribe to make the cravings not so bad?
I used to be a drug/psych social worker, but I've been out of the field a while now. I'm not familiar with any meds though. Methadone is specifically designed for the opiate receptors and isn't really helpful for other drug addictions, unless something has changed in the last few yrs.
A person with a serious anxiety disorder abusing a stimulant is a recipe for disaster. Stimulants make anxiety disorders worse by a mile. Perhaps ensuring his treatment team does a lot of education and reinforcement on that issue will help him develop an aversion to the drug.
Having him/her also see a professional drug counselor will help, in addition to the psych care. He/she should get education about how to avoid triggers. That will be a big help. (Check to see if your state/area licenses drug counselors or try to find one who is nationally certified. Those with special training tend to be more skilled/knowledgeable rather than a general counselor. Don't skip the psychiatrist visits, just perhaps add a drug counselor to his treatment regimen.)
I'm a little groggy this a.m. and can't think of anything else to add. If you can think of a specific question I might be able to add more. My brain is empty right now.
My stepsister in Washington has been on meth for 10 years. From what I've been told, rural, northern Washington is full of meth labs.
She first tried it when she was 13. By 14, she had her first child and was completely out of control. My parents couldn't leave her alone in the house for any length of time without her inviting a bunch of junkies over and trashing the place.
She's now 23 and has two children. She's been with an abusive man for all those years: the man who got her hooked in the first place (he wasn't only abusive to her, but to her mother and the rest of the family. He kicked one of my father's dogs so hard that he killed it). People always question why she won't leave this guy, but he's her supplier. He won't even let her associate with her parents anymore. Addicted people will do anything to assure that they continue getting a fix. She left him a few times when she went through rehab, but she always went back after she was released. She went through rehabilitation at least four times that I know of to no avail.
I'm not sure how much hope there is for her...she claims to be clean now, but there are too many indications that she's not. I'm also not sure why my father and stepmother aren't trying to get their grandkids out of that house. They haven't been able to see the kids for over 3 years and appear to be broken up about it. That's all they talk about. They practically raised the oldest child while my sister was younger and did nothing but party and go to rehab, and now they can't even see her.
I wish you luck with your friend. It seems that even if people have all the support in the world, the drug overpowers all. It can be done, but the person has to take control of his life. No one else can do it for him. The mind plays a huge role in successful rehabilitation; some people seem to think that a doctor is going to prescribe a magical drug in rehab that'll make them kick the habit, but without will power and determination, nothing will work.
Lyin,
Here's another interesting story about Ibogaine:
