I'm a drug counselor, and for legal purposes I give the disclaimer, anything I suggest is a suggestion and my opinion. It is based on my experience but since I do not know the client personally, I can not determine what is best for that client.
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Originally Posted by eileenbunny
I have a friend who is addicted to opiates. She's on an insane amount of oxycontin, and eats Xanax like it's candy. She has no job, no insurance and no money. Yesturday she told her father she wanted to try rehab again, so he said that he'd pay to send her if she found a reasonably cheap one. Last night she took pretty much all of her remaining medication as a last harrah and intended to enter rehab this morning. This morning her father decided he'd rather not ever speak to her again or deal with her at all so he is not paying for treatment for her.
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First, there is a HUGE difference between Oxy and Xanax. Oxy is Oxycodone, opiate and basically heroin in a prescription. Xanax is a Benzodiazepine and basically that is alcohol in a pill (has the same effects on brain chemistry as alcohol does).
Opiates will NOT kill you if you quit cold turkey (provided you were in fair health to begin with). However, the pain is excruciating and as addicts the first thought in the head is, "I know what will make me feel better." Which of course is the drug.
Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, etc) if taken long enough to get a steady level in the blood,
you can die from This is the worst drug to detox off of because it can take months.
Your friend sounds like a normal addict, who has burnt her bridges with her dad. Her fullest intention may have been to go to rehab but she started the cravings, the pain kicked in and she knew what would make her feel better. It's not necessarily a "Last Hurrah" (that maybe the justification she gave herself though), but she took the drugs to just not be sick.
From the sound of it, her father does not understand addiction. It isn't a question of willpower or lying. It is the way addicts think, "I want to feel better right now, I'm sick, I need something now." Instant gratification, it's the hardest part to overcome.
I would suggest for him to seek counseling, go to Narc-Anon, or seek a group who helps those who love addicts cope with them. Sometimes tough love works, but mostly, it triggers more use and desparation in the addict because the people they love make them feel worse. Make no mistake, an addict does not truly like the life they are leading, they just do not know how to get out of it.
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She tried going to the hospital in hopes that they would put her in treatment, but they sent her on her way with some anti-nausea meds, some non-narcotic pain killers, and some non-addictive meds to help her relax. None of this really helped her. This afternoon she went out and found an H dealer. This is the first time in her life she has resorted to this.
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Hospitals don't care, again, opiates will not kill you and when they see an addict come for help, all they see is someone med seeking.
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She is also suicidal at this point and is considering injecting herself with some insulin (her ex-boyfriend is a diabetic so she has the stuff lying around) in hopes that it will kill her. Her mom called 911 on her and she ran out the back door when the ambulance came to her house. She has been to mental institutions before and doesn't want to go back. State run facilities are the worst. My friend is now wandering around completely depressed and hopeless. I really believe she wants to die.
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The reality is she probably doesn't want to die, but is so lost in her addiction she feels she has no hope and no future. A mental ward is not where she belongs. They don't treat addiction, all they usually end up doing is throwing more pills at the client and labelling her with a psychological disease that she may not even have.
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I would be with her right now if I could, but she is on the other side of the country from me. If I had money I'd send her to rehab. I really don't know what to do. Any suggestions for what I can do to help her? She's in Los Angeles in case that info helps. I'm really sad about all this even though I know better than to get involved in a situation like this. It always seems to end poorly. I just wish I knew what to do.
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I dropped you a line, I can give names of places around LA that treat addicts based on income. Also, she can go to NA meetings and someone there I'm sure will know of places.
The best advice I can give is as a friend be there, don't judge her and give her morale support. Don't support her lifestyle or her choices in addiction, but support her as a friend and human being.
I hope this helps. Again, feel free to e-mail me or message me and I will do what I can to help.