They get two days a week out. If they get caught drinking, there are consequences.

Glad you asked. Obviously I need to explore that. I was so wrapped up in MY feelings about the whole thing, I didn't think that far. You're right - he's gotta be wanting to ask for something from us......I think your input will get my thoughts going down a more constructive path now.......thanks!

I don't know how old your son is, but he must be in his 20's-30's to have has 13 dui's and has been in treatment three times.

Most half-way hoses make A.A./N.A. meetings mandatory at leat five times per week. Also, upon arrival from pass(some do :thumbsup: not even have passes), they receive a urine drug screen. alcohol will show up in the body for 24 hrs.

I remeber going to jail in my 20's for DUI. I called my dad; guess what he said. You were smart enough to get in, so you must be smart enough to get out.
However, My mother being the great enabler bailed me out.

The point being, as long as an alcoholic/addict can depend on someome to get them out of their consequnces the pattern will continue.

I'm going to let the cat out of the bag. I'm sure most of you have figured it out anway. I am an alcoholic. The only way an alcoholic/addict will get sober is when the consequences become severe enough that he/she would rather be sober than high. Let me clarify that, it is according to what stage of their addiction they are in. I"ve seen a man get sober and stay that way for many years because his wife threatned to leave him. I've also seen people given the choice of jail or treatment rather go to jail.

There is a thing called intrvention. This is where people who care about the person get together, and they plan an intervention. Mother, father, spouse, girlfriend, pastor etc.... They don't let the affected person know about it. It works better, after the addicted person has just done something negative like going to jail. The intervention group gets together and each person that cares about the person tells the addict how their addiction is affecting their life.

Once again, alcoholics and addicts don't get sober and stay that way unless they want to stay sober more than use. Unless they go to prison or die.

I hope this helps. Remember as long as an addict has someone to clean up their messes, they will most likely continue in their addiction. It's called tough love! I could go on and on, but people have to make their own decisions. Hang in there!!!!!

You're mixing apples and oranges. While certainly on the surface alcoholics and addicts share many of the same cause and effect problems, they are two different animals. That's why AA doesn't want addicts.
Being an alcoholic doesn't make you knowledgeable about addicts and vice versa.
My buddy says he gave up drugs because it interfered with his drinking. :)

You seem to know something about the subject, your right alcoholics don't care much for addicts. However, visit an N.A. meeting and let him introduce himself as an alcoholic. Being an alcoholic, does not make you knowlegable about drug addiction. They do share many traits. It's the social issue in most cases. I assure you to be educated on both sides of the coin. Your buddy did a smart thing, at least he is not still dual-addicted....... :alien:

I don't think there is that drastic of a difference between the two. Addicts and alcoholics share a compulsion to use an addicting substance and the treatment, per se, is very similar. I've never been to an AA meeting where an addict wasn't welcome and visa versa, many people that go to these meeting are cross addicted. While NA and AA use practically the same 12 step program, some of the wording is different to suit each particular addiction.

I"m glad you said that you had never been to an A.A. meeting or N.A. meeting where one or the other wasn't welcome. I have been to A.A. meetings where if the peron telling his story spoke of using drugs certain older garden variety alcoholics would get up and leave. On the other hand I have seen alcoholics called down in N.A. meetings for identifying themselves as alcoholics. IT's a shame, Because as you said the addictions are very similar. I have seen alcoholics and addicts never return to meetings because of their treatment by the so called heirchy of certain meetings......However, for the most part you are right, most sincere alcoholics/addicts are welcome at most meetings whether alcohlic or addict...... ;)

[I wasn't very clear in my post - it is my ex-husband (my son's father) who is the alcoholic. My son and I are trying to give him all the support we can. He knows he likes life better sober, but he cannot seem to stay that way.

I'm glad you mentioned this. I have to Remember to NOT do this for my son, if he should ever start drinking like his Dad does. I watched my Mother enable my younger brother, so I should know what NOT to do!

AA, NA---all the same shit. I've witnessed the grumbling between the two and it's pretty sickening. The fact that people afflicted with the same freakin' disease can't agree to relate should shed a little light on the dilemma alcoholics/addicts face every day with "regular" people. It's like Non-Insulin dependant diabetics feeling superior to Insulin-dependant diabetics. Ridiculous, purile, petty and just stupid. And AA/NA membership can breed more distrust than just obstaining with the help of some local church-group. Invite a member of AA/NA into your house and best not turn your back. I invited a young, single mother in for a cuppa and when my back was turned a few choice items went missing. Gullible Travels. That's me.

Busted.

UDS doesn't test for alcohol. It's in the name. Urine Drug Screen. Different rapid screen kits test for different substances, but a full-blown hospital toxicology dept UDS is much better. Some of the new antidepressants show false positives for things like methamphetamine.

You can test for alcohol via breath test (less reliable) or blood test (preferred, and meets the legal standard for criminal prosecution if the chain of evidence is properly maintained).

The amount of time it takes for alcohol to leave one's system varies based on things like metabolism and whether or not you've already blown your liver, but most people drop at about 0.08/hr. Alcohol does not remain at testable levels in the blood for 24 hours unless you've been doing some serious major drinking.

People in halfway houses without passes still manage to get drunk. Or use. I've heard from quite a few people that there are more drugs in inpatient rehabs than on the street (and that's supposedly a higher security and screening level than a halfway house).

Thanks, Wolf I'M glad it was only you who busted me...... At least I'm not in jail this time. It looks like as many uds I have taken and given, I would have not made such a profound error. You are right. Breathalyser, and blood test, are the techniques used with alcohol. Most treatment centers I worked in or happened to be vacationing at tested for Marijuana, cocaine, amphetimine, opiates, and barbituates. However if they/we were suspicious we would have blood taken. As a matter of fact, you are correct in most everything you stated. However, I will have to disagree about their being more drugs in inpatient rehabs. That is a myth, just like there are more drugs in prison than on the streets is a myth.... also there are other things that can cause false positives, such as poopy seed can cause a false positive for opiates, and some cold medicines can cause false positives for amphetemines. :thumbsup:

There may not be more drugs in prison than on the street but rest assured, for the right price you can get anything you want in prison.

And for what it's worth, inmates returning from off grounds furloughs (yes, minimum security prisons still grant weekend furloughs) are always strip searched, urine screened and if alcohol use is suspected, breath tested.

My suggestion to you is attending AL-Anon meetings, if you haven't already. This program is designed for family members and others that care for an alcoholic. It is a 12 step program such as A.A., but the philosophy of the program, is to learn how to take care of yourself. Most alcoholics hate it when family members do this. One of the main teachings, for lack of a better word, is to learn to quit enabling. I would be dead today if certain people had not said enough is enough. Al-Anon is to help the enabler get back control of their life. An alcoholic out of control, is like a tornado plowing through a trailer park. That is one of the reasons it"s considered an illness. Most alcoholics are some of the nicest people in the world when their not drinking. Do you really think they want do destroy the lives of their loveones? I don't think so. I hope your son want ever drink alcohol because the chances of him having problems will be a distinct possibility. As I have Qouted in other post, a child with a parent that is alcoholic is more likely to become addicted themselves. In another post, I described how many children of alcoholics learn to hate alcohol only to become addicted to other drugs. Please learn to take care of youself!!!! I don't know the relationship you and your ex-husband have, but if your picking him up from half-way houses, there must at least be a strong emotional bind. I hate to say this continually, but a real alcoholic, will continue to drink until the negatives outweigh the positives. Sadly,sometimes, even all the negatives are not enough. The reason I started this thread, is because most people believe an alcoholic is a bad person trying to get good. He/she is a sick person trying to get well, If they are indeed trying to help themselves.....
I'm not trying to discourage you. There have been many sucess stories. Some through A.A.. some through church, and some whose alcoholism had not progressed to the chronic state on their own. However, the latter, either eventually went back to drinking or were very miserable people. No one jump on me, there is always exceptions to the rule. I'm just giving you my 32 year experience and what I have learned through education......and on both sides of the fence. I hope this somehow helped....... I need to make one other point. I said that the people that quit on their own usally returned to drinking.
However, I have seen People go to A.A. for twenty years religiously, to only relapse and die...... This is a topic many don't understand or just don't care because it does not directly effect their life. I feel sure there is hope for you ex.... I don't mean to pry, but if things continue as they are, I would put my concentration on myself and my son.......

He's not addicted at all. As a founder of several local AAs, an AA rep on two state and county addiction panels and a personal friend of Dr Bob, he's quite knowledgable. Or at least he tells me he is....repeatedly. :)
Personally, I'm more aquainted with addicts than alcoholics, so I'm more familier with their problems.

I need a drink...........make mine a dubble.....................

A little contradiction. You are the one that said that your friend gave of drugs because it was intefering with his alcohol. However you are right if he does drink alcohol or do drugs that does not mean he is addicted. I'm glad your friend is associated with A.A... The program is quite helpful to some alcoholics. If your talking about Dr. Bob, who with Bill W. founded A.A. in the 1930"s He must be quite OLD and knowledgable.

" Dr Bob and the Good Old Timers"
This is a book about the Co-founder of A.A.
I suppose this is the Dr. Bob you are talking about.

He again was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. He helped Bill W. write the original Big Book The original textbook for A.A. first printed in 1939.

The Big Book has been revised many times. It is still what some who participate in A.A. call the bible for recovering alcoholics....