No...we tried to have him committed the day after Christmas, by going to the magistrate. The police came and took him to the ER for an evaluation, and he was released. (This was after he had been gone for days, came home with needle marks all over his arms and a huge burn on his hand. He was hallucinating and crying and wrecked his car trying to drive to a methadone clinic. He called me and said he needed help. I drove him to the methadone clinic and his urine was clean, so they would not give him methadone. He was walking around like he was asleep, and after hours of this he "woke up" and said he felt like he'd been walking in his sleep for hours.)
Two days later I again went to the magistrate, and they did commit him. I'm not sure they would have because he was lucid and calm at that time, but I searched his room and found a written plan for suicide and took it to the ER where he was being held. The plan said that he would stockpile meds and take them with methadone and injectables..."roxy" and alcohol. It said that he was sick and suffering and wanted to die. They transfered him to the VA where he said he was fine, had no problems, had written that plan a long time ago, etc. etc.
The BIG problem is, he is due to get a large check today or tomorrow from his car being totalled. I think he is going to get about $5,000 after they pay off his car loan. As my husband said, this is an overdose waiting to happen.
He is very angry again this morning....did not go to the VA (I would have had to drive him, as it's 1 1/2 hours away). He won't talk to anyone in the family, so we don't know his current mental status.
I wonder if his being released from the VA was contingent on him going to outpt. rehab? If so, and he doesn't follow through with anything, will they get an order to have him readmitted? I doubt that they will go to that effort....he is one out of thousands of vets.