I Need Help Getting My Child Off Drugs

So you probably came across this post, at your wits end.  You just had a huge fight with your drug addicted son or daughter and they put a hole in a door in your house, they yelled and scream irrationally and you are worried about them.  You pray for them to go to jail for fear they will die if they stay on the street.  You don't know what to do, you offer help and that only enrages them.  You are at a complete loss.

Most of my post will refer to Meth because it is the most rampant drug out there.  But the problems and the treatment of those with addictions is pretty similar regardless of the particular drug.
I don't have a full proof answer or solution to this problem.  I can only tell you my experience in battling substance abuse my entire adult life, my contact with thousands of drug users, substance abuse professionals, legal experience as a former police officer, discussions with Doctors who specialize in studying substance abuse as well as having grown up with it all around me.
First you have to understand something, that I even as an addict did not for years. They always will be an addict and guess what, they always have been even before they ever picked up a pipe, took a pill or sipped a drink.
Addicts are already pre disposed to being addicted to something, if it wasn’t meth it would be pain pills, alcohol, working out, a hobby they would obsess over, it does not matter their will always be an addictive passion in there life that will always control them. While the passion may be something that is diffuclt for those around them to deal with, its better than a drug addiction right? The goal is to introduce a passion into their life that is not distructive.
The first time I heard being an addict was a disability, I laughed at the Doctor who told me.  I was at Dr Drew Pinsky substance abuse hospital in Anaheim, California.  Dr Drew is world renowned as an expert in substance abuse.  He is most known for the radio show Love Lines and his television show Celebrity Rehab.
Ironically when I arrived they had just finished filming celebrity rehab and I was placed in Steven Adler's (drummer for GunsN'Roses) old room.  As far as substance abuse goes, nobody tops a rock star so I felt like I was around people who knew what they were talking about.  Even if I later had a major diffrence of opinion with the facility about some of their methods of treatment that resulted in my leaving (I will probably do a post about that topic later this week) I learned a lot while I was their and its no wonder this is one of the top treatment facilities in the world.
Anyway, during this conversation the Dr said addiction is just like any other disability, you can not control it or change it, your born with it.  I of course being very conservative by nature said that was a cop out.  Despite the fact that I suffered from an addiction I felt it was something I let happen, not forced on me.
The Dr responded by asking if I had ever battled substance abuse before seeking treatment, which I did.  He asked if during those periods between abuse, did I show any compulsive behaviors about anything.  I initially said no and he asked if I cuuld recall being obsessive about sex, gambling or turn into a workaholic.  The light went off.  I'm not sure what level of interest in those topics constitutes obsession, but I certainly had a greater interest than most in all those topics.  Aside from those issues I went threw periods of time where I was obsessed with working out for hours each day.  When I was not working out I was reading about working out. I took supplements by the handful and did not eat any junk food or drink any alcohol at all.
You have to understand, and addicts brain does not work like everyone else.  According to the Doctor I spoke to and I can not remember his name for the life of me, by doing a brain scan they can predict with a very high accuracy who will have substance abuse problems in life from a very early age.  Apparently the electrical impulses sent from one point of the brain to another, fires in a different way than someone who is not predisposed to addiction.  I have not read any literature on this, but I will do some more research on it.
But from my experience and speaking to addicts, something certainly is different about how the brain works.  Most addicts say no matter how long they are clean, they never feel "normal" unless they have a buzz.  From anything, whatever they can get there hands on.  It doesn’t have to be the drug of choice.  That is why you see so many people get off one drug and get on another.
I explain this because getting your loved one clean is not just there job to do.  Its a family job. They will never get clean without the love and support they will so desperately need during the rehab.  Having said that, no matter what you do, you cant make them get clean until they are ready.  You just have to be ready to go when that day comes.  Is it fair?  Absolutely not.  But if you love them, you should not care about fair, you should care about there life.
This is where a lot of families blow the chance to help the addict out at the early stages of addiction. The addict pushes and pushes so hard.  Breaks so many promises, makes so many outburst, steals and is just such a jackass that you just can not handle them anymore.  Its almost like they just try to make you mad and they try to hurt you for no reason. And at the same time they are constantly accusing you of some conspiracy to wreck the users life.
You just have to be ready to be their and put up with what is about to come.  And the recovery is a lot worse than dealing with the drug problem.  But your actions during this time will make or break the recovery, I promise you.  In my next post I will cover what to expect and how you should handle this very difficult time.