Addiction to Drugs/Needing advice!

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Expert: Gareth Stubbs - 6/4/2009


Question
I am trying to get some advice on the best way to catch someone doing drugs. I have a sister who my mother and I think is on drugs. We are not sure if it is Rx or illegal but we are pretty sure she is on something. We have talked about getting a hair sample and getting it tested but we just arent really sure what to do. She lives with my mother and she actually works in a pharmacy as a parm. tech so anything rx would be within reach. Her new "friend" recently just got out of rehab and thats when we really started to see the change in her. Not to say that he is to blame b/c she wouldnt do aynthing she didnt want to do. Lately you CANNOT talk to her without her biting you head off, she will not let her purse out of her sight, even when she goes to take a bath she takes her purse, she's become VERy pale faced, and sleeps alot. She has a 4 year old little boy who is facing the consequences of her actions and we just are at a stand still as to what to do. My nephews dad is a bum and has never taken care of him so I'm scared if she were to get busted my nephew would go to his dad that he hardly knows. My mom has pretty much raised him since my sister has lived with her! Part of me wants to call the pharmacy and try to get them to drug test her but I have no proof

Answer
Hi Ashley,

Seeing someone close to you going through these sort of things is quite difficult, and the only suggestion that I may have for you right now, basically because it is what my family did with me, is to have some sort of intervention.

The best way to find out more about this is to maybe find a Narcotics Anonymous meetings or a Naranon Meeting where they will be able to help you more with the details because I do not know 100% how my family went about it, but I do know that this is where they managed to get a lot of their information to help me out of the bad place that I was in.

I hope that this maybe gives some sort of suggestion.

Regards

Gareth

Addiction to Drugs

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Gareth Stubbs

Expertise

Given that I am not a “medical professional” I cannot answer questions on medication and the like, however, I can offer my experiences thereon. I am able to offer answers to questions on the effects of most drugs (street and prescription) as well as advice regarding halting the use of and recovery from active addiction, which plays a very important role in the recovery process as well addressing underlying issues and reasons as to why drugs and the like are abused. I am also able to address any questions regarding dealing with depression, suicide and self-harming, recovery from these and advice on creating a different lifestyle without these afflictions. I can also answer questions from families, friends and partners of drug users and depressed persons, and in addition to this, I have a very good understanding of the 12-step recovery program.

Experience

With a long history of severe clinical depression, self-harming and substance abuse (since the age of 12) I “successfully” managed to lose all that I owned (marriage, home, children) as a result of suicide attempts, numerous hospital visits and severe drug use for 18 years, ranging from street to prescription drugs. I am now about to enter my 8th year free from substance and depression and my 4th year free from cutting myself. I know what it is like to be suicidal and in the grips of active addiction and self harm, how difficult it appears to reach out to people for help, and at the same time, I know how I managed to free myself from the lifestyle and how I continue to create a happy life without the use of medication and constant therapy and the like

Education/Credentials
Life Change Consulting, Master Practitioner of NLP, Advanced Neurological Repatterning, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Master Hypnosis, Performance Consultant, Master Result Coach, as well as a Masters Degree in Life Experience.

Past/Present Clients
Have spoken to school and groups (ages 12-16), ranging in size from 50 to 200 attendees at a time, as well as speaking to parents of school children. Have also worked one-on-one with young adults with successful and continuing results. Currently working on creating and presenting a development program encompassing all areas of change in lifestyle, as well as a magazine and book publication.

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