Lara

Dear Members..I am not sure if I am meant to post on this forum as usually I post to 'friends and family of substance abuse'.... but have a question....my best friend is in year of 'recovery' after cocaine addiction...I believed H was doing well....however recently his behaviour been very odd....but typically he always has good reasons for his behaviour.... past few weeks he always goes to bed early, and doesn't want any company in the evenings (which is not like H at all)...he told me it's because he needs to spend time alone, focusing on himself (which makes perfect sense during recovery)....but he seems really really sleepy lately and lacks energy....
The one morning I went past his house.... he was very drowzy and when I went up to his room - his bedroom stank of a sickly, sweet smell combined with what smelt like stale, pungent urine...I know this sounds disgusting, but smelt like stale vomit - I looked around his bathroom but saw nothing 'out of place' - it was a smell I have never smelt before - I know what grass and hash smells like - but this was not it..... any ideas?

KnowHope

You can smoke heroin, prescription pain killers and plenty of other drugs. Doing so could certainly make him seem dopey. Perhaps what he's using is less important than the fact that he seems to be using something for sure. I wouldn't expect the truth from him, but if his addiction has been strongly affecting you I would hope that you take the actions necessary to take care of your own recovery. I have tried everything to make someone I love stop using in the past, and all of it was futile. I wound up getting more hurt as a result, and at times I think I wound up creating more confusion and chaos. Not easy. The friends and family section is probably a very good place to be. I am so very sorry that you are going through this, and I send my biggest prayers to both of you.

liv1ce

I believe you came to this forum for information and therefore it is certainly good that you did. I'm afraid if I don't know from your description exactly what he is doing I agree with KnowHope that he is definitely doing something. If he was truly clean before in his "year of recovery" then he has relapsed. I also agree that when actively addicted he is going to present you with a lineup of lies, hiding and efforts to manipulate you. What you do from here is your choice but only he can truly help himself. You cannot pick him up by the bootstraps and bring him to freedom.