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Old 12-23-2009, 07:07 PM
  # 5 (permalink)  
hello-kitty
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 3,335
I cant live like this anymore and on the other hand im afraid that if I turn my back on her she will get even worse and by then it will be oo late for the both of them
You have no control over whether she gets worse or better. It could be that your staying is enabling her and preventing her from getting better. (You might want to read up on enabling - by providing an addict a place to live, by protecting them from the full effects of their addiction we ENABLE their addiction to continue.)

We have a saying around here.

I didn't cause it.
I can't control it.
I can't cure it.

She's going to get worse without your help. She's going to get better without your help. It's not you. It's her.

I'm sorry if I seem negative. It's just how I've had to learn to look at things in order to regain control over MY LIFE. When we focus all our energy on an addict and their problem, we lose control of our own lives. We lose control of our own sanity. This is something that we can own.

It's kind of like being on an airplane when there's a sudden drop in cabin pressure. The air masks drop from the ceiling. You need to put your own air mask on first. Before you try to help your neighbor put their mask on. Otherwise you both die.

I'm sorry about the teenager. Have you had a heart to heart with her about the situation? Can you talk to a family counselor who specializes in addiction?
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