friend on drugs

[ackmedsgirl666]

ok so heres the deal
i have a very close friend who is a frequent user of drugs every one u can think of
her most fave is crack. she has told me that at the age of three her dad used to inject her with shit and thatsd why shes addicted
i really want her to stop because i am worried for her life but she won't. i have even shows her things on what will happen to your health if you don't stop but she continues to do this. we live together in the group home but i don't want to tell the staff on her because she will kill me
may 24 she came home so badly plastered she almost went unconscience
her boyfriend is also a bad influence because he also does drugs to and they are totally cool with eachother doing drugs. i just don't know what to do anymore or what to say. i don't want her to lose her life
what should i do??

[Black or White]

If she doesnt want to stop taking them there is very little you can do other than be there for her which will always be very hard on yourself. Would the group home offer her help or throw her out if they were to find out about it?

[ackmedsgirl666]

they would take away her home visits with her family because that is when she does the drugs
they would consequence her
get her tested and shit
and if she does have drugs in her system she will potentially get charged

[Black or White]

This is pretty complicated for you then, all you can really do is stand by her and see how it goes, perhaps try and convince her still which may never happen or go down the worst route for her but perhaps in the long run the best route :)

[ackmedsgirl666]

ok
well so far i have tried everything but whenever i bring it up she blames her dad because like i said earlier he used to inject her when she was 3 and thats how it all started
i hate seeing her this way
she either cuts herself or OD'S
im outta options here

[Black or White]

Some would say the best thing a friend would do in this situation is make her life better regardless if it would destroy the friendship, she may thank you for it in the future.

[ackmedsgirl666]

oh yeah true
well i just don't like how she is destroying her life
i mean what if she never stops and goes too far?

[The Dark Lord]

if she had been injected with shit at the age of 3, she would have died, so in addition to being a junky she is a liar

[Sith Lord 13]

if she had been injected with shit at the age of 3, she would have died, so in addition to being a junky she is a liar

Ummmm, no. She could very easily have been injected with illegal drugs at 3. They just would have had to be smaller doses than adults get. Now, it probably caused more damage than it would have caused an adult, but she could very easily still be alive.

[The Dark Lord]

Ummmm, no. She could very easily have been injected with illegal drugs at 3. They just would have had to be smaller doses than adults get. Now, it probably caused more damage than it would have caused an adult, but she could very easily still be alive.

If you consume drugs before the age of 4, you do die as the body can't take them, anyway if she had had drugs at 3, why hasn't she reported her dad?

[Sith Lord 13]

If you consume drugs before the age of 4, you do die as the body can't take them, anyway if she had had drugs at 3, why hasn't she reported her dad?

Matty, can I ask what your medical background is?

Proof you are incorrect http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74216.

Nicotine is a drug.



How do you know if she did or didn't report her dad, and who are you to judge? There is a lot more to it than the fact that her father may have abused her. For some people, family ties are more important than anything else. What does she have to gain by reporting him? Where as, if she reports him, she looses a family member and a resource.

[The Dark Lord]

Matty, can I ask what your medical background is?

Proof you are incorrect http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74216.

Nicotine is a drug.



How do you know if she did or didn't report her dad, and who are you to judge? There is a lot more to it than the fact that her father may have abused her. For some people, family ties are more important than anything else. What does she have to gain by reporting him? Where as, if she reports him, she looses a family member and a resource.

I don't have a medical background but neither does a VT forum. If one of my family members/ resources gave a 3 year old drugs, I would report him. I'm not being judgemental but anyone who gives a child illegal drugs is not fit for parenthood.

[Sith Lord 13]

I don't have a medical background but neither does a VT forum. If one of my family members/ resources gave a 3 year old drugs, I would report him. I'm not being judgemental but anyone who gives a child illegal drugs is not fit for parenthood.

Actually, that's not true. In addition to a one year stint volunteering in the ED (Emergency Department), I've completed the first two years of a Biomedical Engineering degree, as well as spending my childhood studying medical textbooks. (My dad was a paramedic, now a nurse, and I've always read anything I could get my hands on.) Not saying I'm a doctor, not yet anyway, but I am considered to have medical experience. I have friends my age who are paramedics, who, if they wanted to, could join VT. So don't make blanket statements.



Back on topic: I don't disagree with you, I would report them too. But if I had grown up with my parents doing it to me, by the time I was old enough to report it, I don't know if I would report them.

[INFERNO]

Regardless of whether the father story is true or not, given the fact you're in the same province as I am, I would say at this time after 14 years, if she's getting worse and worse and worse, it's time to stop helping her on your own and seek professional assistance. I'm not sure where in Ontario you live but there are various psychiatric hospitals that can help her, such as CAMH (Center for Addiction and Mental Health) on the University of Toronto St. George campus, Mount Saini Hospital and many others. She may not like it but you can have her admitted involuntarily and she will be kept there for a few days. As the psychiatrists examine her, they can decide to keep her there longer but I'd imagine she wouldn't be kept long unless there is another distressing mental illness. They can however help her as she is not a legal adult, she may be eligble for certain drug rehab programs.

As for her father story, if it is true, that may be addressed at the psychiatric hospital as well.

HERE (http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/contact/psych/designated.html) is a link of various recognized psychiatric hospitals throughout Ontario under the Mental Health Act.

As you've expressed, you don't want to find out she's in a hospital because she over-dossed and got into an accident or is dead. The psychiatric hospitals can put her to the proper programs and give her any necessary medications .

[JunkBondTrader]

As someone who has used drugs in the past I can say honestly that the last thing you want to do is warn her of the health effects. The thing is, from a drug users perspective, there is no way out and you're only reminding them of an inevitability. To them it feels like you're telling them "this is what's going to happen to you" even when you mean "this is what could happen to you".

Or she might just be in a position where she feels that the drugs are the only thing keeping her going and if that's the case, she has an incredibly serious problem. One reason drug addicts are often reluctant to quit is because they see the drugs as the only worthwhile thing in their lives. All you can really do here is try and convince her that there is more to life than medicating.

Hope everything works out. :)

[Sordid Saint]

There's nothing if you do if she doesn't want to stop.

It's her decision if she wants to keep having a life like that, and even though it's the wrong way to go, no one can stop her because she'll just keep doing it and doing it no matter how hard you try. She can find ways to get them and use them without people noticing.