What advice to be given to a drug dependent family member?

If the person is not willing to change, not anyone can do anything about it. Glad that your relative is willing to change his ways. He now needs all the moral support he can get especially from family members.
Many years ago, my brother got hooked on drugs. He has a family and little kids to support. I've taken into my hands the only solution I could think of at that time, that was, to send him to another country to work! So while he was there, his so-called bad influences (friends) were out of the way and he's earning to support his family. After a couple of years, he came back fully rehabilitated and thankful that I sent him on exile and now drug free! Cheers!

I would just leave them to there own life. I have a sister who is drug dependent. My brother is another drug dependent one. My nephew is the last in the family. No one can say anything to either of them about these habits. I will not break my back trying to help any of them. Now if it were my daughter on drugs. The sky would hear my mouth and i would do what ever I had to do to get her to listen. Even if it meant breaking the freaking law. She will not destroy her life on drugs. I am so glad she hates to be around drugs.

Good to hear that he himself came into a realization that he needs to get out from his bad habits. His family should support him all the way.

I'm glad and thankful to God that he never allowed anyone from our family to be hooked with drugs. I knew some of my brothers tried it but at least they never became dependent.

Good luck to your nephew...

Hi dhangski,
yes, I would most definitely help out the best way I can. A family member will always be a family member and to ignore such a situation will only be a burden in the end.

I wouldn't allow anything to get worst especially if it is a family member. I am most definitely in great awe and admires you too for doing the right thing.

I have an uncle who once was drug dependent but it was his aunt who never wasted some time but was all there for support and made all the effort to contact some medical help and brought my uncle to the rehabilitation. Now, my uncle leaves in Sweden with his family. He is perfectly in good shape.

Things happen when others care and if faced with the same situation, I will do the same.

Thanks friend for this discussion that I was able to share my thoughts. Cheerful and joyful mylotting to you. Take care!

Of course, you stand by someone with this, especially someone who wants to change. The first thing you did right was to be there and point out the situation. The second was to wait -- no one can change, particularly with respect to addiction, until they want to. I just heard a really good talk on new ways of counseling that help people make the changes their own, rather feel that they are imposed. Not only that, almost all of the medicinal treatments for addiction require a motivated patient.

Best of luck.

I think that it can be very tough to stay by the side of someone who clearly is not ready to make themselves healthy...I.e. off drugs.

Telling them to get off never helps. They have to hit rock bottom or who knows. My sister in law's brother in law went through this. He is severe alcoholic. His wife left him and his business went down the tube.

He was endangering a lot of people, he was always driving when he was not suppose to. Finally the family put together an intervention, he went to rehab but you know what? It did NOTHING. He is still out drinking all the time. They are beside themselves not knowing what to do. My sil finally said that they will not do much with him if he does not get help again, nor will they assist him with anything. They told him that he can call them to talk but if it is not about getting healthy and healed then forget it.

Tough to say, I have not had any family member who needed rehab in this way so I am not sure what i would do in that situation.

of course i can't ignore. although he is a black sheep of the family and maybe felt disappointed but it is the time to be in his side because he wants to change his life and be a good son, cousins, relatives or a friend. So, we must help him whatever he want to make his life meaningful.

i think drug dependency is another sort of a sickness. that's good for your nephew to be treated at the center. if one of my relatives, especially my kids ever struck with that sickness, i will be by their side too...