Coping with a heroin addict who is a friend or part of your family can be extremely difficult. As the drug takes over the person's life, you may have physical and verbal altercations with the person. You probably wish to keep the person in your life but may not know how to when he continues to abuse heroin. Seek out professional help when dealing with a heroin addict.
Step 1
Look for the signs of heroin abuse before you take any action. Common signs include unexplained confusion, listlessness, cycles of excessive sleep, irritability and scars from injection sites. You may even discover drug paraphernalia.
Step 2
Confront the person about her lies. Lying is a common behavior in heroin addicts, and you should not enable the person's behavior by letting the lies slide. You should also avoid lying for the user or covering for her.
Step 3
Steer clear of giving him money. Addicts require more and more money to keep using drugs. When dealing with a heroin addict, stand firm and refuse to give him money, regardless of why he says he needs it.
Step 4
Give the person an ultimatum. To save yourself as well as her, give her the choice of either going to rehab or ending your relationship until she gets clean. Follow through on your threat, and make a clean break if she continues to use heroin. This break protects you from the heartache of dealing with a drug abuser, and it may encourage the user to seek help.
Step 5
Support the person if he goes through the rehabilitation process. If the heroin addict decides to get clean, do everything that you can to help him through recovery. This support may include visits to the rehab center as well as helping take care of his personal responsibilities while he gets clean.
Tips and Warnings
- You can join a support group to help you through the trials of dealing with a heroin addict. Nar-Anon is a group for families and friends who have narcotics abusers in their lives.
