egwich

I have a questiona bout my addicted father. Now a quick run down of him is this. Spent the last 15 years living in parents basement. Had a serious alcohol problem, claims to have severe panic attacks which he takes very much medicine from. My brother is mentally disabled and he receives money from the Goverment for his condition, well my father slowly stole $40,000 dollars of it from him. He lies almost every second of the day like most addicts do and you can't believe or trust anything he says. Also he can't remember much from how dopped up on meds he is. So he'll tell you a lie one day, then the next day he won't remember the conversation or what was said..so he'll make up a new lie which doesn't even co-exist with the first one. My explanation this whole time (plus most of everyone elses) is he is an addict. He's addicted to his pills, xanax and many others like it. Also he has a drinking problem and it effects the addiction more. I believe that he fits an addict perfectly.

Now heres the question part. He swears up and down that the reason he is like this is because of the extreme panic attacks he has. He says they are what make him lie because he doesn't know what to tell anyone and doesn't understand it. He believes the root to his problem is the panic attacks while I believe it is his addictions. Now he does things uncharicteristic (sorry bout the bad spelling on that one) from people who suffer from extreme panic attacks. He has called people leaving death threats, and has harassment charges filed against him from several family members. So I believe the panic attacks he uses to get to the pills. The worse they are then the more pills he gets. Anways my question is, is it possible that maybe the addiction is not causing him to turn into this lying monster he has turned into to? Has anyone known someone who has had panic attacks but acted as if he was completely addicted to something. Since I don't know his pill in take I can never be 100% sure he's an addict. We've stoped speaking since, because everyone who wanted to help him he has shut out of his life and its just him and his father now. So I just wwant to know am I right for thinking hes an addict, or could I be wrong? Even though I'm pretty sure I'm not

Spiritual Seeker

My step dad had progressive alcoholism and use of xanax. Just the alcoholism alone makes them unbearable, so don't ever minimize that. I brought his bottom up to him and he did get sober 7 mos. ago. I had him taken out by police and then a 3 yr. restraining order, then divorce papers. he came around I showed him some compassion and offered help, he took it, and now he is back in my mom's home and sober.

Wascally Wabbit

The strange thing is, the panic attacks. Has he been to a therapist for this? Or is he self-diagnosing?
I know my ex addict husband would come up with the strangest reasons for him to have to take pills.

hope213

i can not give you any medical advise but i can tell you he is an alcoholic & an addict.read the stickys at the top of the forum" what addicts do".keep coming back & welcome to our site.

BigSis

((Egwich)) There was a time my daughter had me entirely convinced that something bad was about to happen.... she "felt" it. Someone was stalking us, someone was outside our home... Even though I knew she was using meth, and that meth induces paranoia... I believed her, because she was SO believable and she believed it herself.

Then she had me convinced she was bi-polar... but by then, I held back on find a doctor to give her meds... I just kept thinking that no one could diagnose ANYTHING if she didn't get sober first. It turns out she IS depressed, but not bi-polar.

I think it would be impossible for ANY lay person, and probably difficult for most doctors to determine the actual physical and true mental health of your dad without a complete detox.

I am sorry he is the way he is... and how that has affected your life. I know you want to believe him and find a way to make his chaos more "normal". Do you have any Naranon or Alanon in your town? Those meetings helped me sort stuff out much better.

I wish you well. ((Hugs))

lostparent

Never thought of it before but my daughter has panic attacks..or so she says..anyway she didn't start having them until after she started using drugs.

tropikgal2

Drugs CAUSE panic/anxiety attacks because of the rollercoaster you put your body on. The phrase "I take drugs because i have anxiety" is a common refrain among addicts. That is the phrase mine used. Well, now that he has been clean for some time the panic attacks are miraculously gone.

tropikgal2

BigSis reminded me : that "bipolar" cr*p. Have ya noticed how many addicts use that one too? Well, maybe if they didn't take DRUGS their brain would function normally!!
When I was a teenager in the 70's we used a phrase that meant "Are you crazy?" and that phrase was "Are you on drugs?"
Go figure, huh??

marle

There is a possibility that his panic attacks and anxiety are real, but the drinking will make them worse. Addicts will also use any excuse except the one that is real in order to protect their addiction. Which came first, the chicken or the egg. I know it hurts you and you want to find the answer, but this is your dad's problem to deal with and as long as he has anyone that still believes him and is willing to enable him in his denial, then he will continue to do what he is doing. Take care of you. You deserve a good life and right now your dad is toxic to that life. Hugs, Marle

egwich

thanks for the input--yeah he never had panic attacks until he was medicated--I'm not really to worried about any of this anymore because I havn't had much contact with him in half a year--But I did accidently run into him at the grocery store and he talked my ear off that he is getting better. Same excuse for the last 10 years, always getting better from the panic attacks but needs another 2 years on the medicine. Of course I don't buy any of this. Just thought I'd see what other people thought and to reassure myself I'm not the crazy one. When your dealing with addicts they tend to make you go crazy at times.