What is the actual success rate of first time rehab for heroin?

Question by Sean G: What is the actual success rate of first time rehab for heroin?
I have a friend who has been dating this horrible heroin junkie. The guy cheats on her and steals from her, but she has this I can fix him mentality. Now his dad has forced him into rehab, and she thinks he is going to come out fixed, I think she is going to waste another 6 months to year of her life..

Best answer:

Answer by canada_winnipeg_man
So, you have just found out that a close friend is a heroin addict. It may come as quite a shock. It may also explain a lot of unusual observations over a long period.

It is best for relatives and others who are close to the addict not to offer advice, however tempting it may be. In our effort to understand, it is best to offer support and sympathy, even when these do not come readily. If circumstances are such that this is not possible at the time, it is best to be frank about one’s feelings, but still to leave the way open for future reconciliation.

Do not worsen the situation by giving money which could be used for drugs. If possible, offer assistance with transport, bills or arrangements which are documented to be for treatment purposes, and always pay by non-negotiable cheque or credit card authority.

Do not be enticed into debates about whether abstinence is the best philosophy. Each type of treatment is ‘correct’ for the right person at the right time. Equally unrewarding are arguments about why someone originally used drugs or what made them relapse on this occasion.

So, just help your friend as much as you now how. She needs you now. Don’t condem her, don’t mock her, don’t talk about all the wrong she might have done. She does not want to hear that. Just be her friend. She may not want to talk at all, she will not be in a good mood.
Just ride it out with her. That is a ride that you will never forget, trust me.

Take care as always

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