By the Power of Greyskull...

My youngest brother is a drug addict.  There.  I said it.

He abuses Oxycontin, which is a really nasty prescription medicine which is designed to manage the pain of end-stage terminal patients.  It's an opiate, and it's supposed to be as hard as heroin to get off of.  He's been clean for a while, after a couple of stints in rehab, including one with the whole shaking-and-sweating withdrawal. 

He called off his engagement last week.  Believe me, if anyone understands how difficult this is, I do.  I mean, I called off a marriage a little more than a year ago.  I understand.  Really, I do.

But my brother is moping around like he's the one who got dumped.  Yesterday, during a family lunch, he got up, said to my mother "I can't take being here anymore" and left.

To say that I am worried about him would be an understatement.  More accurately, I firmly believe my brother is now an end-stage terminal patient, and that it's really just a matter of time. 

Sadly, there's no hospice for people like him.

Comments

[orchidea]

I hope you've heard from him. I can't supply details here, but I do understand a little of what you're going through.

Softest, warmest hugs

orchidea xxx

[C]

Addiction. Nothing tears a family apart like addiction.

I hope you've already heard from him...

[Bn'B]

Yeah, we've heard from him. I actually saw him this afternoon.

I'm not clear if he's using at the moment or not. But it doesn't really matter.

I'm going to worry about him until one of us dies.

Thanks for your concern, all of you.

Bn'B