Some one please help me.
 

Hi i am 20 yrs old. I have 2 parents that have been alcoholics/heroin addicts since i can remember. My parents abandoned me when i was 13 and i recently got back in touch with the both of them after 7 yrs of not even knowing where they were..
my father is in prison he has been there for 6 yrs and i a completley different person...my mother however is still an addict/ alcoholic.
she is homeless and hooking herself...she needs serious help before its too late- i just dont know how or what i can do. i spoke with her about an hour ago and she is willing to let herself be helped now...i dont know what i can doo to help her she is a paranoid schizophrenic and in need of serious psychiatric help...
im not sure what kind of response i will get back from anyone...but all i want is someone to help get me to understand what i need to do to help her.
thanks...MissPsy

Hello MissPsy,
Welcome dear, I am glad you found us.
I am sorry you have to go throught his with your mother. I know how stressfull it is dealing with an alcoholic mother.

Call a local hospital and speak to someone there since she has the need for psychiatric care. Tell them your concerns.
Call a crisis center. They are loaded with resources.

You need help too. Alanon will help you tremendously. This will help you keep your head on straight and teach you life saving skills that will enable you to deal with any problems.

Additionally, there are others on this board who can give you suggestions as well. Keep checking back, I am sure you will get more responses.
Take care of yourself.

thanks
 

thanks you so much for getting back to me with haste...it really means alot that there are people that...can get back to me and offer me suggestions and help...

MissPsy....just maybe to offer you some hope....I am a recovering heroin addict myself, now with 10 years clean....IT CAN BE DONE!!! I would recommend the Al-Anon as mentioned above and also calling every # in the phone book under treatment centers, detox centers or whatever is available in your area. I'm sorry you're having to go through this....my oldest daughter now 22 went to live with her father when she was like 5. Tore my world apart, however I only used more to try to cover up the guilt & shame I felt. She is a wonderful adult and we have a wonderful relationship now!!! Pray and keep praying. I will keep all of you in my prayers as well. I am living proof that prayer works!!!! My family prayed and prayed and prayed for me.....and it was nothing short of a miracle that I finally got clean!!!! :hug:

Hello there MissPsy, and welcome to this wonderful website.

Wabbit is right. The good folks at al-anon are the experts at dealing with family member that are addicted. You can find them in your phone book, give them a call and have them direct you to a meeting that is convenient for you. They have lots of excellent books and pamphlets full of information. They will also know what resources are available in your area. Usually it's the Salvation Army or Catholic Charities that will take in homeless people who are willing to get help. Al-anon will be able to direct you to the proper organization.

You might also want to visit the "Friends and Family" forums next door for families of alcoholics and drug addicts. There's a lot of good people there that can give you suggestions based on their own experience.

welcome again.

Mike :)

As Mike said, Wabbit has very good suggestions. If you are really truly concerned about her immediate welfare, you can call the police and tell them where she is. They can have her held against her will as a 'psychiatric' case for up to 3 days (I think it's 3 days, it may be a week, I can't recall exactly).

The police are also people who know where to turn to (don't call 911, call their non-emergency number) and who to ask for help.

I strongly urge you to NOT take her into your own home until she's received some help and you've received some tools through Al-Anon or a counselor specializing in Adult Children of Alcholics/Addicts. It could be extremely self destructive to you.

I will also warn you that if you give particulars to the police, they *must* legally act on them. So if you tell them that she's in possession of heroin, they will arrest her, which may not be the best scenario. That being said, you can call and remain anonymous (I'd recommend calling from a pay phone).

I would call crisis lines first before I brought law enforcement into it, unless you really fear for her safety in the immediate future.

I wish you the best of luck, and want you to know that we're all here for you. Each of us have travelled different, but similar, paths, so we may not always give you what you need or want. Take what you need, leave the rest.

I just thought of something else. Try the "MENTAL HEALTH" board on here. There are a lot of knowledgable folks there.