My 24 yr Old Daughter Is a Drug Addict and We Don't Have the Money or Insurance to Get Her Help

by Dana
(High Point, NC)

Just yesterday, my daughter pretended to break into our house, busted her Father's safe open and stole his prescription. He got a text from the pharmacist saying that his RX was ready for pick up and knowing that he didn't take the RX to be refilled, he got suspicious and went home to find that our house had been broken into and our daughter wasn't there.

He called the police and our daughter returned home but when the police got there, they told my husband that it was an inside job and they finger printed my daughter to find that it was her finger prints on everything. She admitted to staging the break in and we are still waiting to hear back from the Police as to whether or not charges are going to be filed.

She has stolen money and RX's from her Grandmother, Aunt, and Great-Grandmother, as well as, her Father and myself. She is a compulsive liar (sad but true) and will do anything to get pills. She has been in rehab and on saboxen but stopped taking the saboxen and going to rehab when our insurance would no longer pay for it.

We do not have the money to put her in rehab or pay for saboxen and we are at our wits end because she is an adult now and legally we can't do anything to help her. Any suggestions?

Alcoholism-and-Drug-Addiction-Help.com Answer

Even if you did have the money to send your daughter to drug rehab again Dana, it wouldn't be of much help if your daughter isn't committed to wanting to address her addiction and turn her life around. Rehab isn't a magic cure.

Yes sometimes people get treated for their drug addiction reluctantly, and during that process the 'lights go on' where they realise they actually want to change - but the reality is that the effectiveness of any form of treatment/help for addiction directly correlates to the willingness and commitment of the addict in wanting to change.

So the best way to help your daughter is have her have to face up to and live with the consequences of all her poor and destructive choices, whatever those may be. No trying to protect her, provide for her or bail her out of any mess she causes herself. She needs to hate living the life of a drug addict enough before she'll open up to the idea of wanting to change. Some call it hitting rock bottom.

There is no quick fix. She needs to get sick and tired of being sick and tired. And you need to allow that to happen by not enabling her and having clearly defined boundaries in place. Yes it can be difficult as a parent, but letting a child go and letting them learn from their mistakes is the only long-term solution.

Always make it clear to her that you love her and that once she's serious about turning her life around, you'll support her, but it's up to her now to take responsibility for her life and get healthy. There are plenty ways to do that without needing money or going to rehab, e.g. NA, but your daughter needs to realise that for herself.

Take Care

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