Ways to Protect You, Your Home & Your Resources
 

My Friends - since I have yet to find the "How to Protect Yourself Handbook" to be given to parents/family/friends of those who are affected by the disease of alcoholism/addiction ~ I believe it is always great for the members of SR to share their e, s, & h for us to learn how to safe guard ourselves, prevent futher damage to our lives and help us feel safe.

Over the years, I have gotten many suggestions on how to do these things - thought it might be helpful to have a list of these things on one thread that maybe some of our newer members might would like to read and when they are ready they could take these actions

~ As always, when You are ready ~
Everyone must recovery and progress on their own timeframe.

So please, add your safety measures to the list - please know it is not to be mean, harmful or angry - it is just what I personally have learned that turned out to be healthier for ME and allows the addict/alcoholic the opportunity to seek something better for themselves. . .

1. I contacted my pharmacy - My picture ID is required anytime I pick-up a prescription. No one is allowed to get my prescription for me.

2. My Dr's ofc knows to not call in any medication for me unless I specificially call for it. No one else in my family will call for me.

3. All my meds (even non-narcotic) are locked in a safe.

4. I use a small, locally owned bank - the tellers would know if someone besides me tried to withdraw money from my account. (I made sure to become their friend :)

5. My windows are locked always and so are the doors - and no extra key kept outside.

6. My extra checks stay locked in my filing cabinet at work instead of my home.

7. All phones, bills, video rental places, credit cards, etc. no one can be added without prior approval from me, in person with photo id.

This is just to name a few - what do you do to protect yourself - what would you suggest to the newcomer??????

PINK HUGS to all

:grouphug:

Most excellent post, Pink.

I hope we get lots of ideas, and

I VOTE STICKY!!

Mine: threshold limits on credit cards, where if a purchase/use exceeds this limit the card is frozen until the company gets notification from me that it's an approved amount/use.

CLMI

I have all my credit card bills, financial and legal papers sent to work (I work in small co.) and everything is locked up in a secure safe.

I took all good jewelry off the premises and put in a secure safe place.

I make sure all my phones are charged and put one next to my bed at night

I keep a few night lights on in other rooms during the night

I gave my work/home number to neigbhors to call me if any suspicious
activity.

Call one of the 3 credit reporting agencies and tell them to put a fraud alert on your records to prevent anyone from opening any credit cards or getting any loans in your name without you being contacted first. They will spread the alert to the other 2 agencies. Also make sure that if they open an account in their own name and you are still married they don't also ask for a card for you too. They can use it and later claim it was you (found this one out the hard way).

Change your PIN on your accounts from whatever it was when you were with the alkie. Write, "Ask for I.D." on the back of cards even if you sign them.

Get a gift card to a place like Jewel-Osco that sells both gas and food and keep it safe. That way, if for some reason you are cut off from your funds you can get something to eat and fuel if you need to.

Keep a change of seasonally appropriate clothes in the car.

Have a safe place for your keys and purse. I often locked my purse in my vehicle and hid my keys. Check your credit reports often (to make sure my xah didn't open credit cards in my name (which he tried).

I did online banking and checked my accounts regularly. He did steal checks from me and wrote out $ for cash.

This is codie, but my xh's doctor called all local hospitals and had noted that he was a drug addict.

Make sure child care providers know not to release kids to someone they're not suppose to. I made sure all insurances were kept up until I was divorced.

I am so glad that I don't have to live like this anymore. That was no life. :)

Great suggestions!!

I still keep emergency cash hidden in case I need to make a fast get away!!

PINK HUGS & thanks for the suggestions!

This goes along with changing your PIN numbers – make sure there is no way anyone could know the answers to your secret questions except for you. Took me a long time to figure out I didn’t have to use TRUTHFUL answers. The online bank doesn’t know my first pet wasn’t named “StayOutOfMyAccount” – and because he didn’t know my (fake) answer there was no way my husband could go online, change my PIN, and get my dough.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have started leaving my purse at work and just carry my license and get out a little cash. I don't use debit cards anymore. If I need cash I will just have to go get it. We have separate accounts. I have access to his bank and cards and pay bills quickly before he can get his hands on anything. I also pull out money and hide so he won't spend it all.

Since we are hitting the road Saturday, we thought of a last minute big thing, we needed to change.
We have BOTH addicts on our will as beneficiaries. And the youngest was our executor...(the now jailed one) because we thought, duh, he was the sober son...ha ha on me. That will be changed tomorrow.
Just in case something should happen to Mr. Moose and I, my brother will now be Executor of everything.

We're going to ask the Lawyer how to make provisions for our addicts, JUST IN CASE, they ever stay on their road to recovery.


Hugs and hugs.......

I have contacted all the pawn shops in the area giving them the name of my son and his girlfriend warning them that they may be accepting stolen goods.

Getting a post office box is a good way to keep important information private and checks safe. Another way would be to get a mailbox that has a lock and a very small 'one way in' mail slot.

This could be a pain in the neck when receiving large envelopes and small packages but the inconvenience of picking those items up a the Post Office would be a small price to pay.