Dear Candace, My son has had addiction issues for close to 10 years, and his ex-wife even longer. His addiction escalated when his oldest daughter was a senior in high school. She went off to college which got her physically out of the situation, and her younger sister who was 12 at the time came to live with us, and is now 20 and in her third year of college. My son's addiction escalated to being arrested a few times, about three years ago he showed up in really bad shape claiming that he … [Read more...] about My Son Has Had Addiction Issues for 10 Years
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My Son Is Addicted to Crystal Meth
Hi Candace! My son has been addicted to crystal meth off and on for 2 years now. Suddenly he is starting to be mean to me and blames me for everything. He is also mentally and physically disabled. I have tried everything to help him except putting him out of the house. I can't quite bring myself to do it, even though the cops (who I have had to call, lately) recommend it. He is very thin and his health is suffering but refuses to go to a real doctor. I even Marchman acted him recently but they … [Read more...] about My Son Is Addicted to Crystal Meth
Addiction Is a Progressive Condition
Janet A. asks: Our 37-year-old son began smoking pot in his teens but is now using dangerous drugs like fentanyl on a daily basis. My husband and I have been trying to get him to stop, probably enabling him, but we’re not on the same page in the ways we think we should help him, and nothing is working. His brother and sisters are very worried too. Help? Hi Janet, I’m so glad you wrote to me about this. You’ve mentioned some really important things in your short question – thank you for … [Read more...] about Addiction Is a Progressive Condition
Online Gambling
Our 34-year-old son likes to buy things and gamble online. He is very lonely and doesn’t have much else going on in his life, and we feel sorry for him. The problem is that he isn’t working so he doesn’t have his own money. We’ve been letting him live with us without paying rent because he can’t afford his own place. Sometimes we give him money to gamble and buy his useless stuff with, but sometimes when we say no he takes our credit cards and secretly uses them. Some months we have found … [Read more...] about Online Gambling
Should We Pay Our Addicted Daughter’s Rent?
My daughter has been addicted to alcohol since she was 15. My husband and I thought it was just a phase she would grow out of, but she is now 27 and her life is a total mess. We have tried to help her in every way we could think of, but nothing seems to be working. If we don’t continue to pay her rent (which is a financial hardship for us, after so many years), I’m worried she will be out on the street with nowhere to go. My husband thinks we should do this, but I just can’t bring myself to see … [Read more...] about Should We Pay Our Addicted Daughter’s Rent?