“from there it became a lifelong addiction”

Description

Who was the person misusing drugs in your family? Well, it wasn’t actually a family member. It was a neighbor, who I used to babysit when he was little. And he grew up and didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life. He didn’t really want to go to college; he started to work and then fell in with a bunch of friends that were not a good influence on him at all. And started to use drugs, and from there it became a lifelong addiction. Did they ever lie about their addiction to any of the family members? They lied constantly about everything about a job about not using drugs, lied to get money, so they were able to purchase drugs. Lying is a big, big part of the addiction. Did they ever steal from the family to get money for their addiction? They did, I’m not sure exactly what they stole from the family, but things were missing from the house, that he would go to a pawn shop and take and get cash, so he could turn around and get drugs. How did their addiction affect your relationship with them? It definitely put a strain on our relationship because even though he wasn’t a family member he was a very, very close friend and they lived right next door to us. So, when his own family wouldn’t give him money to support his addiction he used to come to our house and he would ask me, he would ask my dad, he would ask my mom, and always lie and say it was either for food or for gas, so he could get to work. So that definitely put a strain on the relationship. We gave him money the first couple times and then after that, told his family that he was coming to the door and they said, ‘absolutely don’t give him money.’ Did anyone try to help them with their addiction? Yes, their mom, his mom, and dad sent him to three different rehabs; they sent him to one in Florida that cost them so much money they almost lost their house. Um, he stayed in for the full amount of time but when he came out within a month he was using again, and then they sent him to another one in New Jersey. And the same thing, he finished his time there and came out and got a job and within two months, using again. And then again in another rehab. So, in and out of very expensive rehabs three times. And every time he came out, started to use again. Do you think that you or your family would ever help them again? We would absolutely help him in any way that we could help him but not offer him money to support his habit.

Participants

• Bo Keating
  

Interview By

• Bo Keating