Tony Walker
OK so here is a very personal story. A wicked on at that...
A close family member has been dealing with a drug addiction for more than 20 years. Time & time again he's been in jail, through rehab, stolen things from various family members & friends, & has caused so much heartbreak & strife in our family. So many people have tried to help him by giving him money, talking to him, bailing him out of trouble, etc.
Well last year he ended up in the hospital. All the drugs has beaten his body so bad that his heart was failing. Things did not look good for him at all. Originally the doctors didn't think he would live to see the end of the year! But he is still alive. The bright side to this was that it seemed to be the wake up call he needed. He immediately stopped doing drugs, was taking the prescribed medication, living right, exercising, and most of all he was reconnecting with his family. He was doing so well that his heart was improving. Finally after all these years it looked like we had our boy back.
Well sure enough last week he ended up in jail. Turns out he's been back on drugs for a couple of months now. If last year's event didn't scare him into stopping what will?? While his heart had improved my guess is that it's still not in great shape. The fear is that he will be dead very soon. This will tear up the family. So much pain and guilt.
You wanna help because it really is a sickness but yet you have to draw the line & cut this person off otherwise he won't bottom out. But it is so much easier said than done.
Have any of you ever been in this situation? How have you handled it?
