Living in close quarters with a heroin addict, whether it is a family member or friend, can be stressful. Even if the heroin addict believes that his addiction isn't affecting anyone, the addiction creates a dangerous environment for both children and adults. If you suspect that someone you live with is a heroin addict, the best way to handle the situation is to get the addict into a rehabilitation clinic. If you must live with the addict for any amount of time, protect yourself and your family until you are able to get help for the addicted individual.
Step 1
Avoid enabling, or making the addict's destructive lifestyle easier. Giving money, food, a free place to live, or drugs to the addict will keep her in control and give her no reason to stop using heroin. Although you may feel sorry or responsible for the addict's reckless behavior, do not do anything to help her maintain her heroin-addicted lifestyle.
Step 2
Keep your valuables in a locked safe. Even if you have trusted the individual in the past, drug addiction may cause the addict to steal or sell your belongings. If you must live with the addict, keep valuables, cash and prescription medications in the safe.
Step 3
Keep children out of the house. Even if a drug-addicted individual is not home, a household where drugs and drug paraphernalia are present is not a healthy environment for children.
Step 4
Keep an open dialog with the addict's family. If the addict is not a family member, stay in contact with the drug addict's family members so they are aware of the severity of the heroin addiction. If the addict is a member of your family, keep an open dialog with your family members to discuss treatment options and make a plan for an intervention.
Step 5
Consider heroin addiction as an illness, but do not wait for the addict to get better on his own. Like most illnesses, addiction requires treatment, and until the addict seeks treatment, he will not get better.
Tips and Warnings
- Consult a counselor to discuss treatment options for a friend or family member that is a heroin addict.
- If you live with someone who has overdosed on heroin, call 911 immediately.
