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Thoughts suggestions on someone addicted to that synthetic marijuana crap

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by PaulBowdry, Apr 7, 2016.

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  1. PaulBowdry

    PaulBowdry Low-Roller

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    I have a family member who is fully addicted to that fake weed crap. I mean it seems like it is as bad as crack. I am watching their life go right down the drain. Not even the same person anymore I remember. Well my family member has children and has failed them in life. I actually had the three children for a two years with my wife as a foster home due to domestic violence. One child was 11 another 2 and another 10 months I bent over backwards my wife too to get that person back on track. Hasn't worked. She used to say oh that stuff isn't illegal get off my back. Now she is a walking disaster. I had to buy a bigger house to accommodate the children. Also put on hold having my own children. This crap hurts deep.

    Any thoughts on that fake weed crap. Suggestions on how to get my family member help. Thanks for everyone's help.
     
  2. Joe Strummer

    Joe Strummer VIP Whale

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    My 2 cents -
    Sorry about your predicament.
    And the thought of a childhood being ruined, is very painful.
    But.....
    Look deeper -
    I'll guarantee there's something more sinister than fake weed, being abused.
    Fake weed is "the front".
     
  3. 6Mermaids

    6Mermaids Low-Roller

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    I don't know anything about fake weed but when it comes to addiction, the best thing you can let the addict do is bottom out. I can't recommend Al-Anon enough. Go to a meeting and you will get nothing but overwhelming support. I am sorry you are going through this. I know how painful a loved one's addiction can be.
     
  4. northerngirl

    northerngirl High-Roller

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    Sorry to hear. There was a local "head" shop in town this sold that crap. Crime was high in the area of the store and emergency room stats were skyrocketing due to the effects of this synthetic drug. Seriously, you are better off smoking marijuana as you at least know what it consists of. After years of legal battles with the head shop owner, the store is finally shut down and the owner is in jail.

    There is really not much you can do for an addict until they truly want help. Worse thing to do is enable them in their addiction.

    Hope this has a good ending.
     
  5. lithium78

    lithium78 VIP Whale

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    My brother was addicted to synthetic marijuana as well, which he used to buy legally at a gas station. The state he lives in eventually banned its sale and that helped a lot plus my parents kicked him out of their house, so he bottomed out and then straightened his life out. Sometimes, tough love is the best love there is and as much as it hurts sometimes you have to cut people off and make them suffer a little more to motivate them to turn things around. The A&E show "Intervention" used to show this method in every episode.
     
  6. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    Good advice about bottoming out. I believe that an addict or alcoholic has got to want help before it can help them. The person has to face the reasons honestly why they abuse substances before they can be in the proper frame of mind to beat addiction. It can be a long fight but a rewarding effort if you believe the person is worth saving.
    Good luck to you and your family member.
     
  7. ATXTX

    ATXTX VIP Whale

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    PaulBowdry -

    It is kind that you want to get your relative help but let me suggest first you all get yourselves help to cope with this trauma. As was suggested you may want to attend a local Al-Anon meeting. I would talk with my family health care provider about counseling for your family - and by "your family" I mean you, your wife and the kids - especially the 11 year old.

    An addictions counselor can help you with your family situation.

    Best of luck
     
    When we Were Young
  8. PaulBowdry

    PaulBowdry Low-Roller

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    Thanks for the kind remarks and advice. I wish they would ban this stuff. My family member's excuse is oh well this isn't illegal. I said either is buying markers and huffing them. Doesn't mean it wont hurt me. Well this family member is close to rock bottom. My mother was an enabler sort of. My family member was using her credit card while my mother is in a rehabilition center. She is signing power of attorney to me and I am going to try and get the charges taken off and tell the credit card companies to take the money from the tobacco shops they should have checked ID.

    I told my family member straight out what I thought. Said check yourself in somewhere. Ill see what happens.
     
  9. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

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    There was an Intervention on last night that dealt with this addiction. I suggest checking it out and trying some of the tactics they use in the show. But wow, that stuff alters people's personalities (like all addictions do).
     
  10. grosx2

    grosx2 Have fun storming the castle!

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    For those who don't know, this stuff is some nasty shit. It's commonly referred to as synthetic weed/pot, since the psychoactive substance they spray on the herbs is chemically similar to THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana. But that's where the similarities end. This stuff is far more potent and has much more unpredictable and extreme effects than regular weed. As Paul mentioned, a regular abuser of this stuff is more likely to be mistaken for a crack/meth/heroin addict than a daily pot smoker.
     
  11. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I'd never even heard of it until this thread; I lead a sheltered life here in Canada.
     
  12. ATXTX

    ATXTX VIP Whale

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    You have it in Canada. It's like the plague it's everywhere. It's illegal everywhere, but the way the laws here are written the ingredients in a particular combination are banned - so the manufacturers slightly change something and it's on the street in the head shops and behind the counters of the gas stations near schools again.

    K2, Spice, Scooby snax, it's highly addictive - and unlike real cannibis people OD, and because it's a bunch of chemistry there is no way to know what each "hit" contains or will do to a person. The weekends are particularly bad - we have kids in the ER due to "Kush parties" Some end up dying, some - their brain swells and we have to put them in a medically induced coma, on a vent for a few days followed by a long rehabilitation and possible brain damage due the strokes they had. It's cheaper than pot and the high is more intense (psychotropic) so it's appealing to addicts and thrill seekers (teenagers).
     
    When we Were Young
  13. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I'm sure it is on the streets in Canada but I don't think it is in gas stations. I'll be more aware now though so will notice if it is.
     
  14. Julie888

    Julie888 VIP Whale

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    Me too. We supposedly have the real stuff that's top notch.

    I'll have to ask about the artificial stuff.

    OP, in all seriousness, I hope you find help with this.
     
  15. PaulBowdry

    PaulBowdry Low-Roller

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    The scumbags who sell that stuff usually keep it behind the counter have to ask for it. I know there was a New England Patriot who went to the emergency room because he had seizures from that stuff. Want to say his name was Jones. I know the NFL couldn't take action because it is not illegal. The Patriots cut him though.
     
  16. Brick

    Brick Low-Roller

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    I remember that. Chandler Jones. They traded him to Arizona for a 2nd round pick. I guess Belicheck only wants players who smoke the real deal.
     
  17. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    If you know anything about Belicheck then you would know he wouldn't want either. Then again as with most sports it depends on how good you are.
     
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