schieren

My 20-year-old daughter is an addict with poly substance abuse and severe depression. She’s out of the hospital after an attempted (and almost successful) suicide. Although she attends 12-step meetings and is going to intensive outpatient (IOP) therapy, she maintains smoking K2 and other like-synthetic products to get high. Her disease is winning out big time on the fact that this stuff is legal. Does anyone else have experience in dealing with an addict that uses this stuff? I have heard that we really don’t know what these synthetic marijuana products will do to a person. They are too new. I have also heard that they can really mess someone up. Even if it doesn’t hurt her now, I’m certain that her disease will use this stuff as a back door to harder stuff. I know it’s her disease, not mine, but I’m not prepared to deal with this new drug.

Kindeyes

Hey schieren
Welcome to SR......I hope that you find the comfort and support here that I have found.

I am so very sorry to hear about your daughter's addiction and depression. I'm the mother of an addicted son and I understand how very difficult it is to be the mother of a child who seems he77 bent on self destruction.

I don't know much about K2 at all. For my son, any drug is a bad drug, legal or not. He is currently working on recovery although it is very early. He is 29 and we've been dealing with his addiction issues for about 13+ years. We are hopeful that this time he'll be able to stick with his program of recovery. He's been through out patient twice and in patient twice. His DOC was meth but alcohol, heroin, marijuana, mushrooms.....I think his actual DOC was just.....more.

I'm glad that your daughter is in IOP and attending 12 step meetings. That is the best place for her to get "turned around" on her attitude toward K2. They'll call her out on it. Alcohol is a legal substance (although not for a 20 year old) but it still takes some people down a very bad path. The counselors and others in her group are the best chance of getting her to see that for her......no drug is a good drug (with the exception of pharmaceuticals to help with her depression that are prescribed by a doctor).

A couple of questions for you just so that we understand better where you are. Are you currently doing anything for yourself to help you cope with your daughter's addiction and suicide attempts? That is a huge burden to bear without assistance from therapy or your own 12 step program.

For me, the best thing I ever did for my son is being my own recovery program through Alanon and Naranon and participating in the family group sessions through his treatment programs.

I would also like to know about K2. So if anyone has personal experience with this drug, I'm hoping that they will share.

gentle hugs from another Mom

Freedom1990

I have no personal experience with K2 because to be honest, I've been clean/sober long enough now there are many drugs out there that were not in existence back in the day.

The using was only a symptom of my disease, regardless of what drug I used.

My drug of choice for a long time was whatever I could get my hands on: opiates, heroin, booze, pot, etc etc etc.

Meth did end up being my drug of choice the last 5 years before I went to rehab.

Although I think it can be good to become educated on a specific drug, I also think it can become a detriment to focus on a specific drug rather than the disease itself.

My disease is threefold-physical, mental, and spiritual.

If I don't address all three areas, I'm doomed to fail.

My main concern for you, Schieren is that you find a source of support, your own program of recovery for yourself.

Alanon and Naranon are two wonderful programs. Alanon tends to be more widely available.

Addiction is a family disease, and it is so important for each family member to find their own program of healing from this disease.

I also have a 32-year-old daughter active in addictions, and Alanon has been a lifesaver for me. I have a 22-year-old daughter who has been actively involved with an emotionally abusive alcoholic for over a year now.

My parents never sought any sort of healing for themselves after I got clean/sober, and that has been been very painful at times over the years.

I come from a long line of alcoholics/addicts on both sides of the family, was the first to break the chain, and everyone else has been extremely resistant to any change.

The biggest gift you can give your daughter is to start working a program of recovery for yourself, dear.

Get a copy of the book "Codependent No More" by Melody Beattie. She has a whole series of books on codependency. It helped me a lot.

Today I live a reasonably happy and full life despite the choices both of my daughters make.

I sleep well at night knowing I have placed them in God's loving hands.

Welcome to SR, and I hope you continue to post.

schieren

Dear Kindeyes and Freedom1990:

Thank you for your words of encouragement.

My wife and I have attended several Alanon meetings, have read Codependent No More, are reading daily meditations from The Language of Letting Go, and are reading daily devitions from our church. We discuss our codependency several times a day and we are very supportive of each other. Many of our discussions about our daughter center on not letting her disease become our disease.

Although my wife participates in more councilling than I do, we are pretty close to being on the same page about the situation.

For today, I don't think that there is much more we can do for her than help her get to meetings and therapy. Detachment is probably best for us.

We will face other situations tomorrow.

Freedom1990

My gosh, I am impressed that both of you have a program of recovery for yourselves already! That is wonderful.

I'm sorry that your daughter is still using. I know how painful that can be.

Is inpatient rehab an option?

Kindeyes

schieren
I'm so glad to hear that you and your wife are actively working on yourselves and have the support of one another and your Alanon family group. I hope that you'll stick around here on SR and share your journey. We all support and encourage one another here on SR and it's been a wonderful resource for me.

There is so much collective wisdom here. We can be your support too and we would all benefit greatly from your experience, strength and hope. I will keep you and your dear daughter in my prayers.

gentle hugs

johndelko408

It's scary that people are smoking this stuff when the short and long term effects are still unknown. Like you said they are too new to know. From what I know they are just herbs sprayed with some sort of chemical, what that chemical is I haven't the slightest clue. I just saw something in the news recently that the FDA is now looking into this stuff, perhaps looking to ban them and make them illegal also. Even if I was still smoking pot I think I would be reluctant to try them, who knows what that crap will do to you in the long run. If you take into consideration that almost anything you encounter now days is a carcinogen, you might think twice about it. Even a lot of the artificial sweetners on the market today have been proven to be carcinogens. We really have to be careful and research what we are consuming now days.

Dee74

I moved and merged the two threads.

Scherien - I know folks who have gone back to 'real' weed from smoking it, so on that basis alone, I know it's bad news - certainly for folks like me, legal or not.

I hope your daughter comes to the same conclusion soon.

D

myernie

K2 is being banned around here on a city level. I am hoping they ban it with the FDA soon. The little that I do know about it is that it is sold under the pretense that it is used for aromatherapy and not to be ingested. Of course, someone figured out you could smoke it and now it is readily available. Like I said, around me the smaller towns and cities have already taken to banning it.

Live

I had someone tell me that it is very much like smoking pot in it's effects.

FGB

S,
I'm so glad your'e here, but sorry why you had to be. This is an awesome group of people, helping each other through these nightmares we have to go through. Stay here, post often, and read the above stickies. Hugs to you. FGB