- Is There Anything That Can Be Done For My Drug Addict Friend?
QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
Hello, I have a friend who has been on drugs all of her adult life. She’s almost fifty. Her family and I (friends for thirty plus years) have watched her slip into a life style that is now bringing her closer and closer to the edge of life itself. No matter what we say or do she always has an answer and has already tried THAT. Nothing seems to help.
She has been in a program taking Methadone for the past two years. Still drinks, smokes pot, pain pills and whatever else she can get her hands on. The Methadone is just a HIGH, once a day that cost $65.00 a week.
She has stopped bathing, and really could care lease about her appearance. The lies are never ending. Not knowing when she’s telling anyone the truth. Her home is so dirty she won’t let any family or friends in, just people that she gets high with. She is depressed and needs estrogen to get off of the program that is at this point NOT helping.
Please if you can offer any help as to what direction we should go….
ANSWER:
Generally individuals like this have multiple psychiatric problems in addition to the substance abuse. I’d highly recommend you print the front cover of “Life at the Border” and the back cover of “Biological Unhappiness” and let her look at the symptoms. That might trigger in her some hope. In the “Ask The Doctor” section are some frequently asked questions (FAQ’s). The first one, “What should I do first?” may be of help.
