AHS Views

I read an article today about a man who was stole prescription pain relievers from his terminally ill mother. Stealing drugs from parents isn’t unusual, but this guy’s mom was using fentanyl patches. He was extracting the drug from the patches and then taping the patch back on his mom. How desperate can you get? If you have any doubt about whether or not someone using drugs needs drug rehab, that gives you a clue as to how bad the situation can get.

As a drug counselor, I’ve known many addicts who have done unthinkable things to get drugs. They sell their possessions, or those of their family and friends, they lose their savings, their houses, their cars. Really, there’s nothing they won’t do in their desperate need to get the next hit. And, it’s not unusual. That’s what drug addiction does to you. And without drug rehab, the situation is not going to improve – no matter what the addict tells you.

I’ve also heard a lot of excuses from family members who put up with this sort of thing because they know, or assume, that the addict can’t help themselves. Maybe that’s true – but somebody better do it. If you think that forgiving them and making excuses for them is going to help them get off drugs, think again.

If someone in your life is involved in drugs, get them into drug rehab fast. You may be forgiving, but the rest of the world isn’t. One of these days, that person you love, who you’re making excuses for, will wind up in prison, in the hospital, or in the morgue.

If you really love them, get them into a successful drug rehab program, no matter how much they protest, and no matter how many promises they make that they’re going to stop.