I’m looking for help
Somebody supporting another with ketamine addiction
This is my first post .
My 26 year old son is addicted to ketamine . We are completely at our wits end . It started while he was at university and has carried on ever since . He has lost jobs , been arrested for theft , he stole and pawned my late mothers jewellery which we had to buy back , we have also tried to pay some of his debts to the point it is affecting us financially . He has started working with a drug support service but it has no impact . He lives in his bedroom and no longer engages with us . I have no idea how to support him , we did try and set boundaries and threaten to throw him out but I can’t go through with it as I’m terrified of him being homeless .
My 26 year old son is addicted to ketamine . We are completely at our wits end . It started while he was at university and has carried on ever since . He has lost jobs , been arrested for theft , he stole and pawned my late mothers jewellery which we had to buy back , we have also tried to pay some of his debts to the point it is affecting us financially . He has started working with a drug support service but it has no impact . He lives in his bedroom and no longer engages with us . I have no idea how to support him , we did try and set boundaries and threaten to throw him out but I can’t go through with it as I’m terrified of him being homeless .
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2 replies
Somebody supporting another with alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine addictions
Hi Mrs P - so sorry that you find yourselves in this situation. It really is heartbreaking.
Giving advice is so difficult but giving our own experience not so difficult. We were in a similar situation to you but this was cocaine. We were at our whits end and really didn’t know where to turn. We sought help with Forward Trust - an amazing woman told us:
1) set boundaries
2) ask him to leave if he breaks these boundaries
Well - he refused the boundaries and left immediately. He became homeless. This really was difficult but we knew that we had to hold fast and only relent if he wanted to obey our rules. Eventually he got in trouble with the police and I think that was his turning point.
Fast forward 8 months and he is back home with us and is in recovery. There were plenty more to our story but this is condensed. Anyway…
Please remember, this is not advice - but our experience. The one thing I would say is you need to think about yourselves and your health.
Good luck
Giving advice is so difficult but giving our own experience not so difficult. We were in a similar situation to you but this was cocaine. We were at our whits end and really didn’t know where to turn. We sought help with Forward Trust - an amazing woman told us:
1) set boundaries
2) ask him to leave if he breaks these boundaries
Well - he refused the boundaries and left immediately. He became homeless. This really was difficult but we knew that we had to hold fast and only relent if he wanted to obey our rules. Eventually he got in trouble with the police and I think that was his turning point.
Fast forward 8 months and he is back home with us and is in recovery. There were plenty more to our story but this is condensed. Anyway…
Please remember, this is not advice - but our experience. The one thing I would say is you need to think about yourselves and your health.
Good luck
Somebody supporting another with alcohol and cannabis addictions
So sorry you are going through this. Ketamine does terrible things to our loved ones. I am currently doing a course with Forward Trust which is really helpful. I also sought support from a local family support service. A common theme as Wentworth said is setting boundaries. Like you I found the consequences of doing this terrifying. However, with support I’ve learnt it’s the right thing to do for my son, for me as his main supporter and the rest of the close family. Don’t try to tackle this on your own, I felt the responsibility was too much. Good luck x