jjdavid

Hello,

I'm searching for an answer. My brother sometimes uses drugs (speed). In the past 4 months I would say he's done it 2 or 3 times. My sister believes he has to go to detox or he will always have it in his system, thus making him crave it. He has gone up to 6 weeks, in these past 4 months, without doing any drugs so I believe that he doesn't need to detox/rehab in order to stay off of the drugs. I believe if he can stay off of it for 6 weeks then he is not an addict. He is choosing to do it when he does. My question is does he need to go to a detox/rehab center to stay off the drugs?

All opinions are welcomed. Thank you.

EscapedOC

In my opinion- If he can go a few weeks without touching the stuff. He may not need detox. I would suggest that he go to NA or AA. Even If is he not an addict, he can learn more about staying clean. It doesn't cost anything either.

jjdavid

Thank you EcapedOC. I agree!

Mark75

Technically there is no medical reason for detox from stimulants, at least that is what the insurance companies will say... At the frequency he is taking, just stopping it is medically safe...

Rehab? Depends... In my opinion, rehab is valuable to establish a routine of living without drugs or alcohol for a period of time... usually 28 days... He already goes that long without it... But some may benefit from the intensive therapy and community that can be a part of rehab.

Whether he is an addict is something that he will have to come to terms with himself... Whether he craves the substance or not... well, you'd have to ask him.

So I guess this is kind of a non answer... Unfortunately, your sister may not be the one who can say what it is he needs... He has to want to not use...

Mark

spittake

It doesn't sound to me that he is a candidate for rehab. If he is doing speed 2-3 times in a 4 month period, he is not dependent on it...yet.

It is important that he not continue to do it or he is taking a very large risk that he will need rehab one day. Perhaps going to an NA meeting is a good idea, just to see the hell a person's life becomes when they get addicted to drugs.

You and he might do some research on the internet to find out how prolonged meth use alters the dopamine functioning in the brain. The dopamine system is central to our pleasure/reward drive. Meth addicts cripple their ability to feel pleasure any other way. Pleasure = Happiness.

It is NOT worth it.

(I am a former meth addict.)

Here's a link to get you started: FRONTLINE: the meth epidemic: how meth destroys the body

christin1225

Detox and rehab are not necessarily the same thing. Many times they're a "packaged deal," so to speak. But, just because your brother may not need to detox to get the substance out of his system, he may need rehab time to help him put into practice what he needs to do to not pick up again.

I assume that what you meant to say is that you don't think that your brother is physically addicted to a substance because he can stay off it for six weeks. That's very different from saying that he's not an addict. Just because someone is an addict, it doesn't mean that he can't ever abstain from his DOC. He can and he can for varying amounts of time (if voluntarily, the length of time may depend upon his white-knuckling ability or the quality of his recovery. If the drug-free period is not voluntary, the length of time is usually determined by how long it takes to get the next one).

If your brother wants to stop but finds himself continually relapsing, he may very well benefit from rehab. Please don't underestimate the seriousness of your brother's addiction just because he's able to put together a few clean weeks. Think of it this way... if your brother were using once every six weeks and you found out that he was going to lose his job because he was failing a work-required drug test every six weeks, would you not ask your brother about his problem? Wouldn't you ask him why he was finding it impossible to stay clean for more than six weeks? Might you not even wonder if he's an addict?

Of course, all of this is irrelevant if your brother doesn't think that he's an addict and he doesn't want to stop using.

Vintersemestre

He doesn't have a problem.

Your sister's wrong.

You're right.

No.

It sounds to me like your sister has been subject to the standard hysteria surrounding drugs and is probably really very poorly informed.

Stagebear

Frequently the amount or frequency of drug use is minimized. For every pill my partner knew I took, there were countless others that I hid.

However, if his use is really at the level you indicated, I agree with the responses that state your brother is not a candidate for detox and/or rehab. Detox is not necessary and rehab is inappropriate if the use or misuse of drugs has not become a significant problem.

Best you can do now is offer support if needed and education as to where his drug use can lead. It sounds waaaaay too soon for an "intervention".

change4penny

I agree Bear. No one knew how much pills and coke I was really doing except me. My husband was tripping out on the idea that I was taking 10 pills a day....imagine how he'd react if he knew I was taking 30 a day. He knew I was using cocaine....he didn't know I was smoking about $150 to 300 a day.
My point is, for everything you think you know....that ain't even the half of it!

Penny