Ok.. my brother has been a heroin addict since Thanksgiving of 2005. Last summer he overdosed and died at the hospital for 5 minutes. The doctors put adrenalin in his heart and thankfully, brought him back. After that experience, we figured he'd never do that shit again. We were sadly mistaken. He started again. In December of last year he moved to Boston where he nearly died, not of heroin, but drinking too much. He moved back home and he seemed very clean. He later moved to Austin (TX) where he's seemed to be cleaned. Me and my mom have visited him a few times and he seemed the normal happy, funny, person that he is when he's not on drugs. He came for a visit last week and I could tell from the first night, that he was high (heroin). He isn't the happy, funny person he usually is. Just like when he was heavily addicted last year, all he does is sleep, watch movies, and shoot heroin.

Seems like nothing is going to convince him to stop doing this shit. He continuously denies it but I've been around him so much when he was high, I know the look. In fact, last year, I went with him to get it a few times and he showed me how he shot it (like I would do it anyway). He told me all the things he does when he's on that shit. He said all he would do is watch movies, and sleep, which is what he's done all week.

Right now he's sitting on the couch, watching a movie, except he's not watching it he's sleeping.

Is there any way to convince him to stop this shit? I've had panic attacks worrying about him and I don't want to be an only child.

Sadly, you can not reason with someone who doesn't live in the world of reason.
The stuff he's in to is very potent nasty stuff.
If you learn more about the stuff he's in to, maybe you'll start to understand but still there is nothing you can do.
If you are lucky, treatment might get him through but you can reason until you both starve to death. Reason won't work.
Is there any way you can get him in to treatment?

I do wish you the best of luck.

Also whatI'm really scared of is him taking something of mine and selling it, like he did last year. I had the old, bulky PS2 that worked perfectly. I also had memory cards with tons of saved game data that took me forever to get together. I also had about 40 games. He stole it from me and sold it all.

Also another thing... I saved up for 3 months to get a gamecube so I could play animal crossing (GC version) and not even a month after I had it and the game, he stole it and sold it.

Since then I've gotten a new gamecube and a Wii. I REALLY don't want that missing.

Originally Posted by Mothra

Sadly, you can not reason with someone who doesn't live in the world of reason.
The stuff he's in to is very potent nasty stuff.
If you learn more about the stuff he's in to, maybe you'll start to understand but still there is nothing you can do.
If you are lucky, treatment might get him through but you can reason until you both starve to death. Reason won't work.
Is there any way you can get him in to treatment?

I do wish you the best of luck.

We've also tried rehab. My mom spent over $3,000 last year on rehab.

Oh man,
Seriously I would get that Wii somewhere and hide it. I would hide anything of value.
If your room door locks, I'd use it all the time. Or ask if you can have a lock installed tomorrow!
It's just the sensible thing to do.

I just don't know what to tell ya. I can't imagine having to go through anything like this.
Have you joined forums for support in this kind of thing? I bet that would help a lot.

Best of luck

ell my room does have a lock, but my mom took the year many years ago

Bayleef,

I'm so very sorry to hear of your heart ache. I know how helpless this can make one feel. To watch your loved one continuously inflict harm on themselves, and feel utterly helpless to prevent it. I know this won't compare with the level of seriousness your brother's condition is in, but I too struggle with a brother, who is completely addicted to marijuana and alcohol. There's rarely ever an occasion that I see him sober or not high. A few years ago, he was so much into pot that he began spending all his money on this, and thought of nothing else. He was completely depressed and would just sit in front of a TV and watch movies. But then he quit for a while. We all assumed it was over, that it had been a 'phase' he had been going through, and it would never grasp him again.

Sad to say, we were mistaken. A few months ago, I began noticing changes in him again. He seemed very low and depressed. He was very distant, he didn't seem to want to participate in anything with us anymore. He would disappear for days with his dodgy friends, and we wouldn't hear a word from him, until he would show up in the wee hours of the morning, eyes bloodshot, smelling strongly of the crap he had been inflicting on himself.

I am tired of being worried for him. It would all have been so much simpler if I just didn't love him like I do. If it had been that easy, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But he's my brother, and whether I like it or not, I love him dearly, which makes it all the more painful. But if I can be of any advice to you, it would be this: You can not force him to stop. He has to come to that decision on his own, believe me, I know the consequences of trying to forcefully change one's will when that person's addicted to a substance.

He was to want to quit on his own, then and 'only' then, will he accept your help. In all other cases, simply out of pure spite and rebellion, he will want to do it more. Because he will realize that what he's doing is crap, and you trying to tell him to stop will make him feel ashamed and low, and it will depress him further, which will drive him even deeper to the bottom.

Best of luck to you (and hopefully myself as well) and a lot of patience. If you believe in some sort of higher power, I fancy the thought now would be the time to call upon it.

Kind regards,

Ra

Originally Posted by -Ra-

Bayleef,

I'm so very sorry to hear of your heart ache. I know how helpless this can make one feel. To watch your loved one continuously inflict harm on themselves, and feel utterly helpless to prevent it. I know this won't compare with the level of seriousness your brother's condition is in, but I too struggle with a brother, who is completely addicted to marijuana and alcohol. There's rarely ever an occasion that I see him sober or not high. A few years ago, he was so much into pot that he began spending all his money on this, and thought of nothing else. He was completely depressed and would just sit in front of a TV and watch movies. But then he quit for a while. We all assumed it was over, that it had been a 'phase' he had been going through, and it would never grasp him again.

Sad to say, we were mistaken. A few months ago, I began noticing changes in him again. He seemed very low and depressed. He was very distant, he didn't seem to want to participate in anything with us anymore. He would disappear for days with his dodgy friends, and we wouldn't hear a word from him, until he would show up in the wee hours of the morning, eyes bloodshot, smelling strongly of the crap he had been inflicting on himself.

I am tired of being worried for him. It would all have been so much simpler if I just didn't love him like I do. If it had been that easy, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But he's my brother, and whether I like it or not, I love him dearly, which makes it all the more painful. But if I can be of any advice to you, it would be this: You can not force him to stop. He has to come to that decision on his own, believe me, I know the consequences of trying to forcefully change one's will when that person's addicted to a substance.

He was to want to quit on his own, then and 'only' then, will he accept your help. In all other cases, simply out of pure spite and rebellion, he will want to do it more. Because he will realize that what he's doing is crap, and you trying to tell him to stop will make him feel ashamed and low, and it will depress him further, which will drive him even deeper to the bottom.

Best of luck to you (and hopefully myself as well) and a lot of patience. If you believe in some sort of higher power, I fancy the thought now would be the time to call upon it.

Kind regards,

Ra

Ahh about that addicted to pot one... I have a friend who's like that. I almost never see him sober, any $10 he gets he goes and buys a dime. He mows yards for money to get weed. I used to spend almost all my money on it when I smoked, but I quit smoking. It fucks up your life and can get you into worse drugs like coke, acid, and heroin. My brother started with weed. I don't want to make the same mistake he made.