Help Dealing With A Situation...

[ladouleurbelle]

Hello- I'm, quite obviously new, but by no means a "n00b" at forums, and I've indeed lurked in the shadows of this one for quite a while before joining, but I did, because I have a semi-urgent question to ask all of you, because my parents, and really, any adults I have contact with, just aren't helpful.

So, I have this friend. Let's call this friend "J". Well, J is sixteen years old, and at the beginning of school, I was aware that he dabbled in the world of illegal drug use, both smoking pot and abusing prescription pills. I'd tried to get him to stop to no avail.

Well, on the second day of school, he OD'ed on Soma, a muscle relaxant, and went to rehab for two months. Now, I've been in a type of rehab center myself, for issues I had with both self harm and anorexia. And I know first hand that they most definitely do not always work, but he truly did seem to be better- he was brighter, happier, he gained a few pounds (which is good, he was skinnier than my eight year old sister)

So, to be honest, it came as a bit of a shock to me when he told me and one of our mutual best friends, offhandedly, at that, that he was still using drugs. He didn't mention any, simply said "I got so fucking high the other week". I'm scared to death he's going to kill himself accidentally- they told him at the hospital when he went through detox before that, had he taken one more pill he would've been dead.

Now, if I go to his mom, she'll take drastic measures that won't help him (i.e., sending him to rehab and then letting him come home and pretending nothing had changed, like she did this time), if I talk to a school counselor, he'll get kicked out of school. He's unresponsive to me, and quite frankly, I'm at a bit of a crossroads, here, because I don't know what to do.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you so much, in advance.

[staying_alive]

First, I hope you're not worried about the weed use (it doesn't sound like you are). The pills are another story though, and you definitely seem to understand that. Did he go to rehab specifically for prescription pill abuse, or for drugs/addiction in general?

I'd ask him if he's still smoking weed. If he says yes, ask him about other stuff that you know he's done in the past. Without having any idea of what "high" he was talking about, we can't assume he was talking about what he went to rehab for. For all we know he smoked a bowl of weed, which is essentially harmless and much better than his previous habits.

Just ask him. If he's as happy and cheery as he sounds, he shouldn't have a problem telling you. DON'T tell his mom, or a counselor. That'll make things worse. Only if you realize that it's become a problem again should you take action like that. Good luck.

[XxHaViiK]

Yeah, it is rediculous how you can't get help easily. Such as telling a counselor. Around here, if you tell anyone in school about someone using ANY drug, they just get a drug test and then suspend them. On ocassion, they even get time in lock up. Yes, they go to jail. It's goddamn outrageous that no one can seek help without worrying.

The marijuana use should be the least of you concerns. Do not think I'm promoting use of it, but it isn't as risky as abusing medication. You can't overdose on THC. I used to steal my fathers pain pills, particularly Vicodin (because I like the 'high') and it ended up doing some damage to my heart.

If you have to, even tell him that you're okay with the marijuana. But the pain pills need to go. You can ask him why he abuses pills, and if says "I like the feeling" then that's usually not true in most abusers. They are either addicted, or using them to escape from something. Something could be going on in his life, or already happened, that is driving him to abuse medications. That's the first step to getting him to stop it.