[rachel]

My twin brother has always had problems with drugs since the age of 15, he’s now 28, but the past 3 years have been nothing short of hell for myself and my mum! His constant use of plant and anything else he can get his hands on means that he has lost all his friends and now uses drugs and drinks alone in his flat. In the last yr alone he has been in intensive care for 3 months for jumping out infront of a van and subsequently having bleeds on the brain. He was very lucky to walk away with minor injuries and not be disabled. That was the longest time of him being ‘clean’ from street drugs but within 2 days of coming out he was using again and has found himself in trouble with the police and spent 4 months in prison. He has been released and was arrested the same day for drunk and disorderly and has sunk straight back into his habits. I know that he is smoking heroin now as we’ll and drinking bottles of spirits everyday. For the time that he has been at his flat this year he gets drunk (like can’t walk drunk) and phones the ambulance saying he’s overdosed (sometimes he has on prescription meds but sometimes it’s a lie) and this can happen 3 times a week. It’s absolutely awful and he just won’t stop. My mum is on anti depressants now and sleeping pills because she can’t cope with the stress……………it’s ruining our lives! Why won’t he stop?!?!

[help81]

Hi Rachael, I’ve come on here to seek a bit of solace but find it so sad to see so little responses on posts.
I’m 32 and have been separated from my heroin-addict boyfriend for 4 months yet the agony of his addiction has not left me. I was with him for ten years and still love him so much. He is also 28 and when I met him he had dabbled in recreational drugs but I cannot believe things have got to where they are today. I myself am not a user so found it so difficult to understand why he lied, stole, cheated. I really thought I could help him but I’m slowly realising that maybe I had no chance. I watched him go through amazing clean periods only for it all to go up in smoke for no reason. I blame myself for so much. His parents knew very little of his addiction and I tried to cope alone but this was not a good idea. If you cannot get help for your brother, you and your mum must make sure that there are help groups that you can speak to. I wish I had.
I cannot give you advice, all I can say is I know how desperate you must feel. I have no idea what my ex is doing now but I think and worry about him every single day. All you and your mum can do is love him from a far. Do not try to control him but do not abandon him. I cannot say it will get easier. I hope he is able to get intervention as the only success stories I ever hear of is staying at a rehab centre for quite some time.

Sorry if I’ve babbled.

Take care

[Author]

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