Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 8/27/2007

Question
I am married to a man who has been an addict now for the last 5 years and I no longer no how to handle this situation.  I am always very strong minded, clear and confident in all thoughts except when it comes to him and I make excuses in  my own  mid for what he is doing.  He is on the methadone program here is Australia but believes he can still use recreationally once a week.  We constantly get into arguments b ecause I no that it is not only once a week he is using.  He makes excuses saying that I am lucky he brings home any wage at all.  He gives me his pay weekly and our mortgage is paid via direct debit from his place of employment bit he takes every week $150 for spending money which he uses on heroin and I allow him to do it.  Then he asks for one more lot through the week, I attempt to say no but he goes on and on, making me feel incredibly guilty is I say no, he has managed to completely wear me down in all areas.  I want nice things around our home and for our children (the children no nothing of what is going on!)but it is not happening with him, he is a classical liar and extremely cunning.  I feel that he is only nice to me when he needs money from me to go and score.  I feel incredibly naieve in believing verything he tells me, like if we raise his methadone level he will not use anymore etc.  

He is constantly telling me that he can manage and I should allow him to use once a week, as he is not jeopardising anything from doing this.  I have no idea how to deal with this??  and it is driving me insane.  On one hand I feel sorry for him that he addicted to a substance and on the other I don't as he has created his own nightmare.  

I no I am helping the situation by keeping this once a week thing going and now I don't know how to stop it.  He says that he is not ready to completely give up now and not sure when he will be ready to?  Please, please can you give me some advice on this one.  I don't know how to deal with his constant lies, deceitfullness and cunnningness are these all trade m arks of addiction?  or is it just my husband?  I believe that he has been playing this game for such a long time he dowsn't know any other way anymore and it breaks my heart!

Thanks Aleisha

Answer
Dear Aleisha,

You are in a dreadful situation, because drug users are the greatest manipulators and will do anything to get hold of their drug of addiction. If he is on methadone, then it is obvious to me that he is not getting the right amount of methadone. I wonder if the doctor is testing his urine, because usually when a person is on methadone, their urine is tested to make sure they are not using drugs.

Thus I suggest you should discuss this with his doctor.

As a nutritional psychologist I know that most drug addicts have hypoglycemia, which is a sugar handling problem.You need to treat the underlying biochemical abnormality that is responsible for addictive behaviour. The trouble is that very little can be done unless your husband WANTS to overcome his addiction.

Please read:

Drug Addition is a Nutritional Disorder at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/drug_addictions_nutritional_disorder.htm...

“Treatment of Drug Addiction”
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/treatment_drug_addiction.html

He first needs to be detoxified, and then treated for the underlying metabolic disorder.

If you want to find any doctors that are able to help him with nutrition please look up

Looking for Complementary Health Practititioners at:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/clinutrition/messages?msg=149.1

I hope I have been helpful.

_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au
Author of "Getting off the Hook"
Freely available at Google Book Search