BFF & Addiction

[sp3873]

My BFF, who is over the age of 18 has been dealing with heroin addiction. I want to try to help her detox at home. I don't really know anything about this type of thing though. She was born with it in her system and her mother gave it to her to try when she was 16. She really wants to quit, she has tried unsuccessfully at least once. She really bright and she actually goes to college and is studying neuroscience. I could go on and on about how much she means to me but that's not the point. She does not want to do inpatient rehab but outpatient might be a possibility. I want to make it easier on her to deal with the physical ramifications of detox at home. I have read on websites that they can be really painful and scary. I don't know if we can get her medication that might help. She has tried to use narcotic pain pills to ween herself off the heroin (she smokes it, she doesn't inject it) but she says that she has "the itch in her brain" that makes her want to use again. Please help me find her some hope, I need some too. We have been BFF for over 10 years and we are like siblings that weren't born together. I am like her big brother and she is like my baby sister. Thank you for your consideration.

[Karyn]

Welcome to Scarleteen, sp3873.

Unfortunately, providing advice on this is outside the scope of what we do here as a sex and relationships education service. However, I would really suggest that if you do not have professional expertise in mental health or addiction that you're not going to be the right person to help your friend with this. If she's open to outpatient rehab, I would urge her to pursue that option, or to at least talk to a healthcare provider about her various options.