As many here know, the feeling of helplessness by those who love addicts is overwhelming.

My daughter-in-law's brother died late last year after a few decades as an addict. He didn't OD. He was murdered, but I'm sure that drugs played a part in some way. At the very least, it was the type of people with whom he associated. They did finally catch the guy who shot hiim, so now there will be the trauma of the trial for my DIL and her parents to endure.

I have to admit that I was a little more hard-hearted about addiction before getting to know his situation through my DIL. She's been through the gamut of emotions ever since I met her over ten years ago, from sadness to anger and everything in between, over and over again.

and the thing is with drugs/alcohol that the people associated with the substance are all basically not themselves and will do anything for more.

I'm hoping going forward healing can happen. I know it all too well. I detoxed a man off of heroin, only to have his 'best friend' turn him onto meth. It's their behavior, not who they are.

Many Blessings to you and yours.

My grandson is in detox, even though he seems to not be having horrible withdrawal symptoms. It's a requirement to go to detox before going to the sober living place, and that's where he wants to be.

Synthetic opiods are horrible. I hope he can get help.

It's hell.

Thank you.

he is throwing his life away

Fentanyl is certainly evil.

I know more than I wanted to know, but still not enough.

If we're able to get him back to this town, I'm going to be buying Narcan for everyone to have on hand. As long as he's alive, we can have hope that he'll get better.

Another grandson has pretty much already given up on his cousin, and it's hard to take. His prediction was unfortunately right, but I'm still not going to give up hope.

on addiction indicates that heavy chemical dependency is often a symptom of meager social network support. I knew "junks" in Amsterdam and the only thing that "humanized" them enough to be able to converse was the fact that I was willing to talk with them about whatever they wanted. Listening, not lecturing. I say you are doing the right thing. It is NOT easy. Fentanyl is just evil and the cost can be too much for most to be able to witness. You deserve support, keep loving him. One day it'll be what makes all the difference to him. Peace.

I feel that we just haven't gotten to the bottom of things yet. He really is loved so much.

A friend suggested that he might benefit from Suboxone, so I'm going to mention it to my son (grandson's dad) tomorrow. Her brother is on it, and will be for the rest of his life. He's doing well.

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I'm anxiously waiting for a report tomorrow on how things went today.

I don’t just because once in a while those hopes become real. I won’t give up hope either.

You know the hell then.

I know that some people think it's just a matter of will power, or something. One bad decision can affect someone's life for a long time, and even forever. But as long as he's alive, we can hope for recovery.

I think he's been off that track for a long, long time. His mom is a recovered addict (if that's such a thing), and was out of his life for over a year when he was around five or six. It was hard on him. My son had full custody at the time, and his wife has always been very supportive. But I know that what was going on with his mom was very difficult for him.

I had hoped he was going to stay on track after the last time when things went off the rails. He was in the hospital for a week in life-threatening condition. He wanted help, and a few weeks ago celebrated 100 days sober.

I know it's going to be a long road.

I attended Saturday meetings at the rehab center the staff set up for family/support persons to join the clients. I learned that most of the time it takes more than one stay. 100 days was a huge accomplishment and fingers crossed he will be even more successful next time. 💕

It's been maybe three years now since she quit drinking. The alcohol destroyed her health, but it sure is wonderful to have her back. She's my best friend.

I don't know if she'll ever feel like she's out of the woods. She knows at this point that it'll kill her to start drinking again. She avoids triggers, and has eliminated a lot of people from her life because she's not in that life anymore.

This fentanyl is insidious. I hope my grandson can find it in himself to keep trying.

It has to be heartbreaking. I hope for better days for him and you. Please keep us updated.

I feel bad because I should have called my son earlier to ask if he has any updates. I asked him to keep me posted, but I don't expect him to have to update everyone. He was having a difficult time holding it together when he called to tell me.

It sucks to not really be able to do anything but wait and hope.

I'll find out more in the morning.

Someone I know told me that once Narcan is administered, it can remain in their system, and when they do the drug again they require more to get that high. That's when the overdose happens. I guess it makes sense. I have a lot to learn.

I'm hoping the day will come when he asks for help BEFORE slipping. As long as he keeps trying, he stands of chance of getting better.

Addiction is crushing for everyone. I hope he gets help, kicks, and gets back into sober living.

Did he get to sober living as an outreach from rehab?

He went from spending a week in the hospital to some sort of rehab place for a month, and then into sober living.

I'm not sure how I feel about the sober living place. I suspect that they're not all the same. He seemed very upbeat about it at first, but obviously something happened.

Thank you for your kind words.

He's with my son, his dad, and in rough shape. They'll work on a plan today.

He apparently overdosed three times, and was in a disgusting extended stay type hotel with others in the same condition. My son is in a position where he can work from home, so he'll be there. My grandson isn't a big guy, even at his healthiest, so he looks bad. He also apparently got punched in the face, so that makes it look even worse.

His step-mom, my daughter-in-law, is awesome and supportive. They have two other kids, very young. So I worry about everyone, and what affect this will have on them.

His mom is a recovering addict herself, who is married to a guy who is a convicted felon for drug offenses. They have a three-year-old, and are adamant that my grandson can't be at their house. Her family is, well, to be kind I'll just say they're "different". They're definitely upper middle class, and in many ways turned their backs on my grandson. They've always been great at showing their disapproval if anyone in their family doesn't live up to their expectations, and their expectations are high.

I don't know the plan, because there isn't one yet. I think it'll be a rough day. I'm going to research what withdrawal from fentanyl is like.

I'm hoping that they can find a good detox or rehab sort of facility here that can get him through this initial phase.

Anyway, the important thing is that he's alive and that my son will help him through this part of things.

Thank you everyone for your support, and I welcome advice that I can pass on. I may not reply to all posts, but I do appreciate all input.

He is checking into a detox facility this afternoon. He spent basically a day and a half at his dad's, where he got cleaned up and ate. Apparently he arranged the detox stay himself. He's an adult, so it's ultimately up to him. My son wants him to come back after he detoxes, but we think he'll want to go back into the sober living facility in Denver, if they allow it.

We're just hoping it'll go better this time. We're here to help, but he has to make the decision whether to accept it or not.

How is he doing there? He'll be given Suboxone I assume. There's also a detox for that that I know.

Rebecca

Has it been treated? That sounds terrifying.

behind my left eye. I've lost 25% of the sight in that eye, and lost control of it after it was dilated, undoing the surgery on my eyes when I was 8. I then had a heart attack, then just had half my thyroid removed. Still all seems like a dream. Except I'm a bit cross eyed, though the Fresnel lens helps in my glasses. Unfortunately I seem to have lost my singing voice, as it's been 3 months since the surgery and I still can't sing, or have any range of my voice. At least I dream of singing!

Wow! You've been through so much!

Did your thyroid surgery affect your singing voice and range? I hope you get it back.

Yes, the thyroid surgery affected my singing and talking. It's supposed to be back by now, as the surgery was July 24th. I'm a compulsive and trained singer, so I don't like it at all. However, the nodules were huge but non cancerous. Now I just whistle all of the time, and along with all sorts of music lol.

The aneurysm, we thought was from the EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) I have, hence the dysautonomia and POTS. A genetic test confirmed that I don't have Vascular EDS, which is great! I was diagnosed with it by my cardiologist(s) after the heart attack, which, by the way, we're more prone to, although it was Broken Heart Syndrome, which is an NTSMI.

Hopefully, I'll slowly get my voice back.

All of these events, along with a few other hospitalizations, seem like dreams.

I'm grateful to be here with my family. Any of us can kick off at any time. So enjoy those you love, and let them know you love them.