Distressed21

I just told my 18 year old daughter to leave. She dropped out of high school, she doesn't stay at a job for long, she hangs around with the wrong crowd and now is doing Meth. She refuses to get help. I've been diagnosed with a high risk of a heart attack or stroke and I just can't have her around here. My heart is breaking but I just can't do this anymore. I feel like a failure as a mother.

Soberwolf

Welcome Distressed

PhoenixJ

Prayers to you. Do you have NA- support for family meetings nearby? Or a counsellor/priest to talk to? Boundaries are important- but it does not stop you wanting to protect your child. It does not mean you area bad person.

ByHisLove

I'm so sorry for what you're going through. I think you did the right thing. If she is making the choice not to get help, you definitely are right in not enabeling her behavior. Have you thought about going to Al-Anon? It can help you learn how to deal with your daughter being an addict. Prayers.

MeSoSober

Don't say that. There are plenty of great, caring parents out there who set a great example for their kids, and still they have one or more children who go down the wrong path. Your daughter is young. Maybe she will turn her life around.

I don't have any advice for you but to take care of yourself. Also, you will find a lot of love and support here!

Dee74

Hi Distressed and welcome

sounds like you considered your own needs and made a deliberate healthy choice based on those factors.

I can't imagine how hard it must have been.

I hope that maybe this will be your daughters turning point?

I know you'll find a lot of support here

D

Anna

I'm sure this wasn't an easy decision to make. Your daughter is still very young and hopefully she will find her way.

Forward12

There are plenty of great parents, where their children chose to go down the wrong path in life. Sometimes the best thing to do is let them to find their own way to hopefully getting on the right track again.

HopeSprings

You've given her an incredible gift. I'm sure she's pretty mad, but thays what addicts and alcoholics do when their normal is upset. When I say gift, I mean you've taken away a huge opportunity from yourself to enable her. Boundaries are healthy and necessary when dealing with someone in active addiction...it's when things get uncomfortable enough that we say enough.
There is a great friends and family section here on SR, I would recommend you have a read around there too. It's what originally brought me here 12 years ago and they proved invaluable to me. Please don't bear yourself up, there is no tougher job in the world than being the parent of an addict.

least

You are not a bad parent, you are just faced with a painful choice and I think you made the right decision. Sometimes they have to learn the hard way in order to want to change. I also suggest support for yourself.

Inchworm

Everyone deserves the gift of learning how to live. Your daughter won't learn this if you enable her. Good mothers do this for their children.