I have a friend who is dealing with a horrible family situation in regards to substance abuse. My friend’s brother has been battling with depression for the past two years or so. He started off smoking pot at 16 which to many people is not a bad thing. I don’t even think it’s a bad thing, but for people who have addiction issues, it can easily lead to other substances being abused. Maybe pot doesn’t give enough of a numbing experience or it just isn’t strong enough to drown the sorrows of life. I don’t know. But in this specific case, it led to him trying other things – pills.

It started off slow at first where here and there he would get a Xanex or a Valium from a friend (not sure if I’m spelling those pill names right). He liked to take them to just numb himself or sleep well. He said it was just relaxing and helped him with anxiety. I get that. I have anxiety and when it gets really bad, I have thought about taking prescription meds. I never do though. He did, and it has changed his life for the worse.

In the past few months, it has gotten so bad. He’s taking ten or so pills a day it seems as none of us really know how much he’s taking. All that my friend says is that he slurs his words, sometimes he can’t walk and sometimes when he sleeps, she wonders if he is alive. She has to put her fingers in front of his nose just to be sure that he’s breathing. It’s incredibly scary and just the sheer love that that family has for him is touching. It’s breaking each and every one of their hearts to see him go through this.

A month ago, he went to a doctor to get some help with his anxiety. The doctor apparently, hardly asked any questions and prescribed him 50 Xanex. The next day, he only had 20 left. Whether he gave them out to other people is unknown, or if he took them all is unknown. They know that he must have taken a bunch because in the middle of the night that night, he was arrested for wondering the streets and charged with a DUI.

This past week he went back to the doctor (I think the same one, not sure though) and he got prescribed 80 Xanex. The next day he had 36 remaining, and the day after he only had 6. The family has been in constant fear that he is trying to kill himself. It makes them sick. Shoot, it even makes me sick. I feel helpless to the situation. They all feel the same way.

Word is, is that you can send people to Highland House to get help, but all that happens is they lock the person in the room all day with an hour of freedom to talk with others in a circle about their abuse issue. That sounds like jail to me, not rehab. If you want to get someone into an actual rehab, you have to have the funds to do so. I’m talking thousands of dollars and considering the fact that most substance abuse users are from the poor class, it’s impossible to get help.

How can our system be this jacked up? Why can’t we get help for the people we love even if they don’t think they need help? I am so disappointed. It seems the options here are to try and get the cops involved and force him into a hospital that will only make him stay a few days, or to let him stay at home and allow him to continue this behavior. Yea, I know kick him out right? Go ahead and tell that to a mom who loves her baby and will do nothing of that sort. That whole family feels so helpless and I am outraged. There has to be something that we can do for him. He needs help, they need help.

I get it that medication has its purpose, but this whole situation has made me realize why I value natural remedies over meds any day. I only wish I could have helped him somehow with oils or something natural so he wouldn’t have gotten this bad. I hope he lives through this and I hope he recovers.

If you ever read this, you know who you are – Your family loves you. I love you. We want to see you strong and healthy and loving life. Everyone around you is here for you. YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU CAN GET PAST THIS.