My 29 Year Old Daughter Is Addicted to Vicodin

My daughter is addicted to prescription drugs mainly vicodin. She gets them from my husband who legally gets them from his doctor because he has a disease and they help his pain. She started stealing them from him 5 or 6 at a time and them when he caught on he tried hiding them but she would always find them.

Then he started selling them to her at a high price hoping that would keep her away but it only got worse. Now she has figured out what day his prescription is delivered to the house and will be there to intercept the mail and force him to sell her some anyway - which can including being physically abusive. She will not leave until she has them.

If I take the bottle to work with me she will be there when I get home and refuses to leave until she has some. She started out taking maybe 4 a day now I know there are days she takes between 10-20. Talking to her is impossible - I've tried on several occasions. She has gone to rehab 2 times in the past but being clean only lasts a short while.

She is married with 3 children and beside the problems she is causing between me and my husband - and especially my husband who runs out of the pills - I'm afraid she is killing herself or something is going to happen to the kids. I'm mentally done I can't take any more, she makes me feel like it is my fault and I'm doing everything I can think of to make it stop. What can I do?

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

If she ever gets physically abusive, call the police, because having someone threaten you or get abusive (even if a child), is under no circumstances acceptable.

What does your daughter's husband make of all this? Because perhaps its time to start getting him more involved in this - it's also more likely he'll have greater influence on her than you and your husband will. Because he should be doing everything he can to get her professional help, especially for the sake of the kids.

But if the message doesn't get through to her or her husband that the way she's behaving can't continue - then tell her she leaves you with no option but to get Social Services involved - because how can someone addicted to drugs fulfil her duties as parent and mother?

Another option would be to get a restraining order - basically you need to look into all the legal options available to you and how the authorities can help you. Because the bottom line is that your daughter isn't going to do anything about her addiction unless she wants to, which is something you don't have a lot of control over.

But you should be able to feel safe in your home and not have her intimidate you and your husband when she needs her fix of vicodin. She's been to rehab and had every opportunity to turn her life around, so if she doesn't want to make use of that then that's her choice, and little you say or do will make her change her mind.

So if you have no other option, use the law and whatever legal means you can to make sure at least she stops harassing you and your husband to get her vicodin. Because what she's doing also amounts to theft so there must be ways you can have the authorities help you put a stop to her behavior.

Obviously your husband selling her the vicodin was not ideal, especially considering her history of addiction, but be that as it may, hopefully using some of the above suggestions you'll be able to put a stop to her taking advantage of you.

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