Drug Rehab Exchange: Every Substance Abuse Treatment Program in the Country

NAV
Loading

Choosing your Battle with Your Adult Child Addict

 




I never kicked my son out of the house. Friends said I should. Co-workers told me it was the only way. Even some of his drug friends said it would be for the best. But I could never bring myself to do it.

Tough love means different things to different people and the hardest thing in the world is listening to armchair quarterbacks when it comes to addiction. Each family is different. Each situation is different and nobody can tell you what you should feel or act or do.

With that said, there are two circumstances that I can honestly say would have caused me to tell my son to live elsewhere.

Physical threat: I was very fortunate in that my son never threatened me in any way. I have friends who have adult addict children who have hit them, shoved them and in one case actually threatened to put a bullet in her head if she interfered with his drug use again. My son doesn't even raise his voice to me, so I was never faced with the choice of knowing where he was and knowing I was safe. Had he ever raised a hand, threatened me or implied he would hurt me, he would have been told to leave that day.

Doing drugs in my presence: Addicts are not the only people with triggers. Parents develop triggers too - something that would put you over the edge and cause you to make an otherwise impossible decision. For me, it was if my son ever did drugs in front of me. I have friends who would rather have their adult addicts do the drugs at home where they are safe. I am not one of those parents. I am sure drugs were done in my home. I found way too much proof of that. But had my son ever tried to use in front of me, I would have told him to live elsewhere.

Outside of those lines in the sand, most other things were not things I was willing to throw him into the street over. I do have a friend who kicked her son out the first time he stole a small amount of cash from her to buy drugs. That was her line in the sand and I support that.

Final thoughts: Rather than listen to what everybody wants you to do, it is important to decide where you want to draw the line in the sand when it comes to your child's addiction. Knowing this ahead of time can make the decision easier if it ever has to be made.

A boundary letter

10 Ways to Cope with an Addict







How Do You Quit Drugs and Alcohol

PALS is Exclusively for the Parents of Drug Addicts and Alcoholics
Fitness after Drug Addiction: Getting healthy once you are sober
Recovering Alcoholic Explains his Disease Progression
Staying Sober and Coping With Pressures to Avoid Drug Taking Relapses
Why After Being Clean for Months Am I Suddenly Hit With Cravings?
An Opiate Addict Explains Life After Relapse
Why Yoga Works for Sobriety
After the Drug Relapse
Recovering from Drugs: 5 Steps to Admitting a Drug Addiction
Inhalant Abuse: Q&A With a Huffing Addict
After Rehab: What if I Need Anxiety Medication or Other Valid Prescriptions?
Drug Tests and Rehab: What Will They Do If I Fail?
I’m An Addict. I Admitted It. Why Do I have to Keep Going to Meetings?
Withdrawing From Narcotics In Jail
Drug Rehab and Honesty After Relapse
Drug Rehab Conversations: How Do I Talk to My Family About My Drug Addiction Before Rehab?
Three Days: Withdrawing from Opiates
Opiate Addicts in Recovery: What If They’re Given Pain Medications During Medical Emergencies?
What is Life Like After Rehab?
How Do You Build Trust After Getting Clean?
My First 12-Step Meeting
What Happens When 12-Step Rehab Meetings Aren't Enough?
Detoxing for Rehab
How Do I Explain Rehab To My Kids?
How Can I Prepare for Drug or Alcohol Rehab?
What is Rapid Detox?
Vitamins and Detoxing
Exercising During Detox
Effects of Smoking Marijuana
Working Your Program While Working a Job
Holiday Help With Sobriety
Cutting Ties With the Old Life
Staying Sober at Functions
Telling Family Members About Your Drug Use
How Does a Suboxone Program Work?
How Does a Methadone Program Work?
What is it Like to Withdraw from Benzodiazepines?
What is Withdrawal from Opiates Like?
What is Residential Rehabilitation for Substance Abuse?
Who Attends Intensive Outpatient Rehabilitation?
Physical and Psychological Dangers of Bath Salts
How are Drugs Smuggled Into Prisons?
Are Bath Salts Addictive?
Why is Quitting Drugs So Hard? Part 2
Why is Quitting Drugs So Hard? Part 1
How Hard is it To Stop Smoking Marijuana?
How Do You Quit Using Drugs Cold Turkey?
How Do You Quit Taking Psychiatric Drugs?
How Do You Quit Drinking Alcohol?
Drug Use Screening Kits - Testing People For Drugs
Common Symptoms Of Opiate Withdrawal
Can You Stop Using Drugs With Hypnosis?

Substance Abuse and Your Life

What is N-Bomb and How Can It Hurt Me?
What are Medical Marijuana Cards?
Will the Police tell me if these are drugs I found in my house?
How to Force Him Into Rehab
Behaviors That Indicate That An Addict Is Still Sober
I Found Evidence of Drug Use in My Teenager’s Room. Now What?
Narcan Effectiveness: Can I Use Narcan to Save Someone from An Overdose?
Avoiding Relapse: 5 Activities for Bored Teen Addicts
What Are Alaska’s Medical Marijuana Rules?
Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Rules
California Medical Marijuana Rules
Oregon’s Medical Marijuana Rules
Washington’s Medical Marijuana Rules
Maine’s Medical Marijuana Rules
Enabling Addiction: 6 Things That Permit Addiction Behaviors
Illegal Drugs Testing: 4 Mistakes That Can Ruin Drug Test Results
Teen Drug Addiction: Give your friends time to understand that your child is a drug addict
What are the Signs of Meth Use?
Q&A With Justin, A Meth Addict
Rehab Family Day And What I Learned
Choosing your Battle with Your Adult Child Addict
Drug Addiction Recovery and Family Turmoil: Why do we still fight now that he is in recovery?
Parenting a Drug Addicted Teen and Getting Past the Self-Blame
Drug Addiction Education: How Can I Learn More About Addiction?
Living with A Drug Addict and Taking Back Control
Heroin Addiction: In My Small Country Town? Is My Son A Lost Cause?
Steroids In Schools
My Son Was A Drug Addict, But I Was The One Who Almost Destroyed Our Relationship
There’s an Addict in the Family: How Much Do You Tell The Children?
In Drug Court, What Happens if I Break the Rules? Will They Lock Me Up?
Drug Search: The Cops Want to Search My House For Drugs and My Kid is an Addict - What Should I Do?
My Boyfriend’s a Recovering Drug Addict. Should I Dump Him?
How Can You Get Arrested for DUI Without Drinking, Drugging or Driving? Believe it or Not, You and Everyone Else are at Risk for This Happening
Lessons My Teenage Addict Taught Me
What’s It Like to Sign Someone Into Rehab?
Should I Kick the Addict Out?
Drugs In The Suburbs And The New Path To Addiction
What Does Letting Go and Letting God Mean?
What Can I Expect When I Visit Someone in Rehab?
An Honest Q&A with a Recovering Heroin Addict
What’s the Difference Between Crack Cocaine and Powder Cocaine?
How Is Drug Addiction Supported?
Talking to An Addict About Rehab
Synthetic Marijuana Is Losing Its Popularity Among Teens
The Difference Between Enabling and Empowering An Addict
Gift Ideas For A Recovering Addict
Is Adderall Addictive?
What are Psychedelic Mushrooms And Are They Illegal?
Who Does My Drug Use Effect?
Reasons To Go To Residential Rehab
Is Marijuana Addictive?
What Counts as Drug Paraphernalia?
Earning Back Trust
Am I Addicted?
Can I Lose My Car if it is Used in a Drug Deal?
Tips For Giving A Drug Test
How is My Love One Paying for Drugs?
What Does Crack Cocaine Do To The Body?
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Crack Cocaine Use?
Do People Still Take LSD?
What is Doctor Shopping?
Talking to Your Loved One About Huffing
What Are the Signs That Someone is Huffing?
Problems With Ecstasy Use
Is He Injecting Drugs?
Is My Loved One Using Drugs?
What is Med Seeking?
Where Does My Loved One Hide Drugs?
Is Drug Abuse Grounds For Divorce?
Substance Abuse Amongst the Homeless
Risky Business and The Dangers Of Drug Use During Pregnancy
Babies Sentenced to a Life of Drugs, Addiction and Jail House Side-effects
Will You Gain Weight When Quitting Drugs?
What Legal Medication Can You Take to Quit Drugs?
What is the Average Wage for Drug Abuse Counselors?
Relapses and How To Know When They Arrive
Quitting Alcohol Cold Turkey - Is It Dangerous?
Is Rehab Necessary? Alternatives For Quitting Drugs
How Quitting Drugs Can Change Your Life
Drug Overdoses And Their Staggering Annual Death Rates
Top 10 Reasons for Substance Abuse