BPD and Drug Addiction

[Our abuse recovery guide]

Need some input... .

I have a uBPD cousin.  Male; 30 years of age.   He has self-medicated on pot for years and is a frequent abuser of alcohol.  Was known as a "recreational" prescription drug user until we recently discovered he's moved on to using needles... .meth and possibly heroin.  His FOO is a challenge; codependent mother/uBPD father who also smokes pot and drinks excessively.

So given the challenges of an undiagnosed behavior disorder in combination w/the "let them fall" strategies so often recommended to family members of drug addicts, what can we (dBPDh and I) do; if anything?

[Katy-Did]

Need some input... .

I have a uBPD cousin.  Male; 30 years of age.   He has self-medicated on pot for years and is a frequent abuser of alcohol.  Was known as a "recreational" prescription drug user until we recently discovered he's moved on to using needles... .meth and possibly heroin.  His FOO is a challenge; codependent mother/uBPD father who also smokes pot and drinks excessively.

So given the challenges of an undiagnosed behavior disorder in combination w/the "let them fall" strategies so often recommended to family members of drug addicts, what can we (dBPDh and I) do; if anything?

[funfunctional]

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear about your cousin.

Only thing he can do with the addictions he has is go into a treatment facility for an extended period of time.

His body is physically addicted to all this stuff.   He has to clear the drugs out before he can even start to address all the mental health issues.

My opinion - not expert.

Good luck

[Katy-Did]

Yes, "funfunctional"-- I wish he would seek help from a treatment facility.  He's been through court-ordered DWI counseling (which was a joke, btw) and believes he can out-smart/out-wit/out-manipulate any system of accountability; including his parents.  

It's amazing what we can learn from our BPD family members! My dBPDh, who used to use drugs years ago, tells me the most productive measures to take are to (1) communicate our care/concern then (2) hope/pray he hits/smacks/crashes bottom before he kills himself or someone else (due to reckless behavior).  

I've thought about talking to his mother but our FOO relationship status, although better, remains tenuous. (There's a lot of history.)

I was hoping folks would shed some light on the similarities/differences between drug abuse and BPD.