My brother's benzo problem - help please

[monchi]

my heart aches for you. i know what it is like to be a big sister, and how you would absolutely give the moon to your brother if he needed it. i would do the same for mine. however this has bitten me in the ass in the past.

sometimes we are so full of love for a person, and we want to be the one to fill up all their empty spaces. and me, sometimes i let things go that i shouldn't.

i wonder if this is what's happening to you. you have heard of enabling, and i hope this doesn't seem like an attack. i just wonder that if you weren't always there to save your brother, if he might have to figure things out for himself.

this means giving up all control, and releasing him into a very uncertain and dangerous set of circumstances, but.... it can be done!

whatever you chose to do, i give my heart and best wishes to you and your family!

 

[Depone]

Wow you are giving alot of emotional energy to your brother....You sound like an amazing sister to have.

He really sounds like he is 110% commited to using, nobody can stop him....I have personal experience with benzo addiction and for me it was worse than Heroin to get off and stay off them...The only thing worse was jumping off Methadone.

He really sounds like he needs a medical detox and a long term residential program IF HE WANTS TO STOP.

This is causing you alot of stress I am amazed you have'nt cut him off or your husband has not beaten him up or left by now.

 

[atara]

Try getting him to use cannabis, diphenhydramine, or melatonin or some combination of the three (all?) to sleep at night. Ideally he'd only take benzos for management of withdrawal and not for their euphoric and sedating effects.

Valium is known for its long half-life (>20 hours!) but it's duration of action is only an hour or so, I guess because it's taken up in fatty tissues (never took GABAergics, never wanted to). Kava might be an option, but I'd be really cautious because plant does NOT equal safe.

Also, I'm seconding the inpatient treatment option, if it's at all possible. It really does help.

 

[worried sister]

Thank you all for your advice. It all came to a head when we found out that he had taken out a Barclays loan (at 27%) APR all in the name of crack. Luckily we were able to rescind this irresponsible loan. I am 32 and didn't think I was naive when it came to drugs but 'in my day' it was the odd gram of speed for £6, an eighth of has for £25 (which we all saved up for) then at university the odd pill. I didn't recognise the crack signs - not even the burns on the fingers. Anyway the benzo addiction was still at the heart of all this and the doctor at a South London hospital was able to get him into a secure specialist addiction ward. One that only has handles on the outside of the doors. On advice I haven't visited and he is the only one there for benzos - many are there on court orders!! Apparenty the heroin users have been sympathising with him saying how coming of smack is easier than weaning of benzos (which I have been told before). He phoned me today and sounded lucid. He knows I will drop of cigarettes with the charge nurse when necessary but I am going to try and get on with my life. I pray that this is the best thing for him. They let him go cold turkey and are now administering 4 x 15ml of liquid diazepam daily. Of course I worry about him meeting new 'friends' in there but when he called today he sounded almost normal. His bags were searched when I took him in (something they didn't do at a very well known posh English rehab centre).