Читать книгу Hindsight: The Unraveling Effects of Addiction - Denise Williams - Страница 9

Matt

It was apparent to everyone that Matt was an opioid addict. Money, jewelry, electronics, and tools were all coming up missing from the house and from my husband’s business. We were finding needles and heroin bags; capsules and crack pipes; along with other household items, such as cotton balls, Q-tips, spoons, vinegar, cutup straws, foil, and Chore Boy steel wool in Matt’s room. These are all items an addict would use for drug paraphernalia.

Katie called him out on several occasions and even attempted to do a drug intervention. I backed her up but was so damn clueless. I wasn’t much help. Ryan and Tim wanted nothing to do with an intervention. Tim did not believe that Matt was an addict. Ryan was barely talking to Matt because he was shooting heroin. Ryan thought Matt had crossed the line when he became an IV user. I always thought it was more because he had seen himself following in Matt’s footsteps. Ryan may not have crossed over that line, but he most certainly had one foot on the line. Matt was a mirror image of what Ryan was becoming.

Tim and Katie’s relationship really became strained because of the suggested intervention. They never had that great of a relationship. They were so much alike and were always fighting and butting heads. But now the relationship was damaged.

Matt was discharged from his doctor and therapist in the spring of 2009. I called the therapist and let her know that Matt was a full-blown heroin addict. At first, she was shocked and horrified. Then she got very defensive and said that she was sorry, but I needed to understand that without opiate pain medication, she could not do her job. The pain Matt would have to endure would be torture without pain medication. Wow! That was not what I expected to hear. My interpretation of what she said was that my son became an addict so she could have a job.

We were able to convince Matt (with the help of Katie’s friends) and Tim that he needed professional help. It was going to be at a local outpatient health department clinic. I went with Matt to his intake interview. The first part of the intake was private between Matt and the interviewer. I joined the two after a short period. She told me that she and Matt had both agreed that a Suboxone program would probably be the best treatment. I had no idea what Suboxone was. She explained that it is a drug used in the treatment of opioid dependence. She said that Matt could start as soon as he was seen by the doctor who was on vacation at the time. He was expected back in a week. She then instructed Matt to tell me the other thing they discussed in private. Matt said to qualify for treatment, he would have to have drugs in his system when he started. You could have knocked me over with a feather! In other words, I would have to permit my son to use illegal drugs for another week. Not only that, but I would also have to be the one to buy them since Matt had no money.

Matt did get treatment, but it wasn’t a week later. The doctor was on vacation for two additional weeks. Then when he returned, he had to see all his regular patients before seeing anyone new. Matt was not seen for almost two months. And yes, I kept Matt high the entire time he waited to start.

I should have asked more questions. Knowing what I know now, Matt would have only gotten the minimal amount of drugs to prevent withdrawal while waiting. Instead, he got the full amount that his body was used to. Allowing Matt to have the high amount of opiates and me being the one paying for them caused huge conflicts between Ryan, Tim, and I. I don’t regret the conflict, but I most certainly regret not asking more questions. Matt only lasted about two months before being discharged from the program for dirty urine.