How do you help a sibling with drug/alcohol problems but could also have antisocial personality disorder?
August 31st, 2010
My younger brother is 20. He has been in rehab twice for drug/alcohol problems. At one point he was taking 30+ Xanax ‘bars’ a day until we got him into a program and detoxed.
Every time he gets out of rehab, he eventually goes out and gets his ‘fix’ again and gets hooked.
He even moved 2,000 miles away for a while to live with my Mother in CA. He did not know a soul there and still managed to find dope.
I think the reason he has such a hard time giving everything up is because he also has antisocial personality disorder. He seems to have no regard for other people’s feelings. He is very impulsive and a terrific liar and con. He plays on our (his family’s) emotions because he knows we want him to get help and always want to believe he is getting better….and then he will steal from us right under our nose.
I have been reading about antisocial personality disorder and know that the treatment of the disorder must be done first. He needs real behavior modification therapy to improve decision making skills. He could also use a mood stabilizer to help manage anger issues.
I guess what I would like to know is….how do you talk to someone about this disorder who has such blatant disregard for other people’s rights/feelings and even his own well being? How do you talk to someone who is virtually impossible to communicate with? How do you talk to someone who only indulges in conversation when there is some hidden motive to get something he wants?
How do you make someone realize the need for therapy?
Yikes! Intervention is never easy! Try to find your local Al-Anon, even though it is for family and friends of alcohol abusers; they may have techniques or insights that might help. Yours is not an easy path. Have and express your hope.
Unfortunately, I think the only way therapy will work is if he WANTS to get better. If you get him to go, but only through guilt and hopeful promises, it won’t have the same effect.
He has to decide that a change is in order for him to seek help and attempt to get better.
Being there for him is all you can do, but stop giving him money. My uncle was the same, and it took three months of living on the streets for him to ask for help. Perhaps it won’t take that much to wake your brother up, but maybe it will take more. You can’t push him though.
Hope this helps, and good luck.
Hey there im a recovering addict myself and it took me a long time to finally clean up my act. It took me until i hit rock bottom and was basically homeless to realize i needed help. The best thing you can do is just keep talking to him and don’t give up hope know what i mean? Try an intervention maybe? Just keep having heart to hearts with him and let him know he’s not only hurting himself but also your family, and that you can’t see him live like this anymore. Unfortunately the rehab thing might take awhile to click but just never give up hope.
Well hopefully i kinda helped you out a little jus somethin to think about