Son self-sabotages every opportunity

Nandina

Member
Apologies for the length of this. I haven’t posted about my son much lately because things had been going relatively well. I posted about his stay in jail a year and a half ago and his psychotic break there after doing meth and received good advice here. After being released from jail, he entered treatment for the third time and like all the other times, got kicked out after three months of a nine month program for anger issues and not following the rules. Apparently, they gave him multiple chances and he blew every one of them. This is so typical of my son.

He is 22 and has not been allowed to live in our home for the past four years due to drug use, anger issues and not following rules. He lived with his birth family in another state for about 6 months, but realized how dysfunctional they were and decided to leave which was a good move on his part. Even with all his issues, my son and I have maintained a decent relationship.

Last December, his life-long friend who lives in our city invited him to live here with his family (at home) and with his mother’s approval. The mother also managed a business and gave my son a job there. All was good and any reports to me were positive and flattering about my son, his good manners, work ethic, kindness, and how much everybody liked him.

I tried to stay out of the picture as much as possible, because his friend’s mother was acting in the role of caretaker, taking my son to appointments, driving him to work, etc. and he was doing so well. I was breathing easy.

Fast forward to about a week ago. I got a text from her saying my son is out of control, she had to fire him and kick him out of her home. We spoke and you wouldn’t know she was talking about the same person she had sung praises for previously. She told me she had never been treated so badly in her entire life. He’s on drugs, she said, acting out, hearing voices, doing things like jumping out of a moving car, yelling and going off on people.

She was so concerned that she helped get him mental health treatment and he spent time in a psychiatric facility but apparently it was to no avail. His behavior made him homeless once again. She never communicated with me during this time and apparently tried to handle all of it on her own. I felt awful that my son had put her through this and repeated the pattern he has become so accustomed to: Blowing every opportunity anyone ever gives him. Again, and again, and again. He’s been kicked out of three homes, one transitional living situation and three drug treatment facilities in four years all for drugs, anger issues, or refusing to follow rules. His behavior ruined his life-long friendship with the young man who invited him here.

My son admitted to me that he had done meth “like maybe 5 times,” and once again, I saw all the signs…the paranoia, “God” complex, rage, talking nonsense (our government is being run by pedophiles and cannibals—I saw it on the internet!), and in general just being out of his mind.

We sadly drove him to the homeless shelter where he has spent time on and off over the last four years knowing that he needed mental health and drug treatment but would probably not seek it. Within days, he was kicked out of the shelter permanently for going off on someone who borrowed something and didn’t return it. So now he was on the streets with no job, no home or shelter, little money and not thinking clearly.

I knew it would be hard for him to find a job right away, given his recent firing and probably a poor reference from the caretaker/manager as well as being a convicted felon. He also was still affected by the meth although I haven’t seen him high anytime recently and he claims he has not used. He does want to work and has been applying for jobs.

I knew he had a couple of paychecks coming and that the money had to last until he found a job. He has absolutely no money management skills and can blow through a paycheck in no time even if drugs are not involved. I suggested only giving himself about $50 a week spending money, mainly for food, so that he would have enough to last for weeks if need be until he found a job. He even agreed to let me manage the money so I could dole it out weekly and make it last, as he is truly incapable of doing so. He turned over his ATM card to me and I breathed a sigh of relief that he would have plenty of time to find a job with me helping control his money.

But, as it turns out, my son totally disregarded this agreement and continued to go to the bank and withdraw funds. He blew through the first paycheck in a matter of days, he says, mostly on fast food. I was livid. It was a small paycheck but at $50 a week could have lasted him a month. Perhaps I should have held onto the money, but I trusted him not to touch it since he knew there would be little more forthcoming.

The next paycheck was larger and I decided to withdraw the entire check and dole it out because I knew he would blow it if he had access to it. There was enough to last him two months. He knew we had agreed on $50 a week. When I checked the balance on payday, he had already withdrawn $150 and by the end of the day had blown through the entire amount. That was nearly half of his balance. But when I tried to access the funds, something was preventing me from withdrawing anything. I found out he had placed a block on the account that he had given me permission to manage!

That was the final straw for me. He claims he was worried about getting hacked and therefore blocked the money. But I called BS on that. He just didn’t want me to have access so he could take as much money as he wanted, knowing there was no more coming and no job in sight. Because he NEVER thinks of consequences.

I recently started seeing a counselor because I’ve been overwhelmed with my son’s issues and I wanted to be sure I wasn’t enabling him and needed a little guidance. She has helped me see that we have done everything we can possibly do for him and that he needs to avail himself of the social services in our city designed to help the mentally ill or drug addicts. She suggested several options for him.

So, yesterday, with great sadness and a little anger, I made my son go through some clothes we were holding for him so he wouldn’t have to lug them around, decide which ones he wanted to keep and throw away or donate the rest because we are done. I told him he violated my trust by blocking the account and blowing through the money, and that we couldn’t help him anymore. He would be totally on his own without us in the picture for the first time since he left home four years ago. And he is down to less than $200 with no job in sight.

He was shocked, I think, that I was doing this. He mentioned taking a bus (spending even more money) to another city with a homeless shelter. He kept saying, “I know you’re probably going to try and talk me out of this.” But I didn’t. I told him I knew he would do whatever he wanted regardless of what I say. He always does. I repeatedly mentioned the services my counselor had suggested and told him when he seeks help and is enrolled in a program, feel free to contact me.

And then I dropped him off downtown. And cried all the way home.

Thanks for “listening.”
 

lovemysons

Well-Known Member
Nandina I am so sorry for your broken heart. I also know the anger involved and the word “done”.

As you may remember I lost my son Jarod 2 years ago on Thanksgiving morning. He was hit by a van on the highway. He had no shoes on his feet and Meth in his system.
Because of the location of where he was when he died I am convinced he was trying to leave town and head back “home”. From California to Oklahoma.

Like your son, I and many other angels, had given him multiple opportunities to get better, have housing, have psychiatric care etc. he always blew it.

In the last year after a hospital stay which was always for delusional behavior on the streets and then getting locked up in a psychiatric ward Anyway I arranged for the hospital to give him a $100 his ID I ordered was sent there and a bus ticket home was waiting for him. This was in March. My son didn’t make the bus home when he got out of the hospital. He ended up using the $100 for drugs instead of food.

I told my son, “I am done. Don’t call me for 6 months. I can’t keep going through this with you Jarod. I will always love you. Get your life together and get off drugs. Goodbye”.

6 months passed. He would call and beg me to take his calls. Even said he was in a program and had gotten a 30 day chip. By the time I contacted the program he said he was in they told me he had left.

At 6 months I had not heard from my son for awhile so I put out a missing persons report. My son was found in a scoop of a bulldozer on the road. He was taken to a hospital. He had COViD as well as being on Meth.

Long story short…he had money coming to him from our Indian tribe. $1,000. He knew this. When he got out of the hospital the last time, a week before thanksgiving he was given a phone by a friend who cared about him there and that I trust. She even flew here for my son’s funeral.
In any event, the last time I heard from Jarod was a few days after his hospital release. All of my calls were met with silence. No texts back. He knew as soon as that $1000 got to me I would be sending it to him to get back home in time to celebrate Christmas with us…especially his 3 precious children.

I can only say this Nandina.
Your sons drug addiction and mental illness is beyond your control. I believe it is between the individual and God. Both my husband and I believe God had had enough of watching Jarod’s poor choices and suffering and finally called him home.

I live with a permanently broken heart and I will never be the same person as I was before Jarod’s death.

We are only in charge of the execution of having given it our all in raising them. We are not in charge of the results.

May God give you some peace no matter where you find yourself on this road.

Love,
Tammy
 

Nandina

Member
LMS, thank you so much for your kind message. And my deepest condolences on the death of your precious son. I have to be realistic and know that the same thing could happen to my son if he doesn’t get help. All of us who have drug-addicted kids have to live with that possibility.

My daughter, who works with HIV patients, many of whom are drug-addicted, told me that fentanyl has made its way into meth now, as strange as that seems. This really increases the chance of an overdose. I swear, I think meth is the scourge of the earth! It totally ruins a person’s psyche and makes a loving person act in the most hateful ways imaginable.

What hurts the most is that I know my son is really not capable of managing his life without some sort of guidance and assistance. Even if he didn’t do drugs. He is considered on the spectrum, and incredibly naive and immature.

He probably needs to be on SSI (disability) but I don’t know if he would consider that. On my counselor’s advice, I suggested he go to the social security office and apply. But his paranoia won’t allow him to trust the government and I doubt if he will follow through.

As parents, we know we have done everything that we possibly can to help our son, but each time he has sabotaged our efforts, one way or another. I pray that he will get help but I think he’ll have to hit rock bottom first. You’d think he already would have reached rock bottom after being kicked out of three homes, one transitional living center, three drug treatment facilities and with barely a friend left due to his drug affected behavior. And now, mom and dad are out of the picture as well. It’s just so sad.
 

Deni D

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
Staff member
Nandina, I'm sorry to hear how things have been going. It took my son many years of bouncing around before he settled down a bit. There were a few adults who took him in thinking they could provide the stability and guidance I obviously could not. They found out, and of course contacted me after things blew up to let me know how badly he behaved. My son also blew up transitional living situations.

It's very sad coming to the realization that there's just nothing you can do. Knowing he's not capable of taking care of himself and knowing his naivety and immaturity alone can put him in danger. Bad people can tell when someone is naïve but then the good people he runs across can also tell. I'm hoping your son keeps coming in contact with enough good people.

For my son, his rock bottom was that he got tired of living a life where he wasn't sure what was going to happen from one moment to the next. He went through many years of denying his mental illness until one day he decided he'd had enough. I had long stopped trying to tell him to go to the mental health clinic, stopped telling him to do anything to get out of his situation. I had come to the realization that me trying to guide him just gave him someone to fight against to do the opposite. When my son wasn't raging at me for his choices and would complain to me about something I would say things to him like "hmm, what do you think you should do about that?" and let him tell me whatever, whether I agreed or not. And I would pray that someone who he trusted would influence him in a positive manner. It turned out to be the social workers in the mental health units and out patient programs. He was hospitalized against his will a number of times. For years I had been out of the picture, my only support was uber rides to doctor's and out of pocket medical expenses. The rest was up to him.

These days my son still let's people here and there take him for a ride but he's been learning slowly. He's not doing great by most people's assessment, but for him it's night and day from before.

I can't say my son ever saw the light, I think it was more like the pain of his lifestyle was greater than the pain of doing something to put his life on a better path.

Praying for you and your family.
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Im so sorry, Nandina.

Such good advice has already been said. We are a very special community.

Even without drugs being involved, I sure can relate to much of your situation especially to the angst and futility.

A local church has a support group for parents like “us.” Most have “kids” high school or college age. Most , if not all, are abusing drugs. So, I don’t always feel like I fit in as my adult child is now in her thirties and doesn’t use illicit drugs. She is severely mentally ill, but got it in her head if she takes her medications she is absolutely fine…in fact smarter than everyone. Sigh.

One day it hit me like I see it is hitting and hurting you …the hideous realization that our adult kids don’t seem to get better , there’s nothing we can do , AND it doesn’t seem like they can get better. There are no words.

Perhaps with help of some kind, there is more hope. But, what kind? They self sabotage and reject help left and right and either abuse or don’t want our help. Abuse/take advantage of seems VERY common when it comes to us. And worse than anything, engaging with them leads to our trauma and no progress for them.

Similar to you, Im wondering if she has hit rock bottom? She has a high iq too. What the heck? But even with this bizarre and gruesome situation she is in, I’m not sure if she has hit Rick bottom or if she realizes her hideous choices got her here.

There are a few in my support group in which I recognize this particular “thing.” No cause and effect reasoning. A disturbing inability to connect the dots regarding consequences.

A friend said those in my support group probably don’t realize that most of them will be where I am in ten years or so. Sigh. I know I didn’t see the difficult (impossible?) waters ahead.

Then there are people who take advantage of them. Our daughter is once again in a bizarre situation. Has moved all over the country. Her latest locale has her in a trailer with a handicapped roommate in the middle of nowhere with no food store and no transportation. It’s gruesome…take my word fir it. Has she hit Rick bottom? Doubtful.

As a side note…at the end of the month she is returning to a situation three states ago that she perceives as a better situation (it was) . Will she work to make that a success? Sigh. She has moved 100s of times. Sigh.

So, at some point I know for me having no other choice, we help her minimally, avoid getting emotionally involved (that’s a hard one) and are taking care of ourselves.

I think SS disability might be a good idea for your son, but find out the rules regarding work he can do on the side. It’s important for people to feel /be productive.

I pray that there is help out there for your son. I know I would appreciate any and all healthy “anything” for my daughter.

But, adopting a different attitude about it all, accepting much (I suppose ALL) of it, praying a lot, seeing a counselor….I’m sure you know…is what saved me from the tremendous pain that I simply could no longer bare. I pray for your comfort. ((Hugs))

Blessings.
 
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Nandina

Member
Nandina, I'm sorry to hear how things have been going. It took my son many years of bouncing around before he settled down a bit. There were a few adults who took him in thinking they could provide the stability and guidance I obviously could not. They found out, and of course contacted me after things blew up to let me know how badly he behaved. My son also blew up transitional living situations.

It's very sad coming to the realization that there's just nothing you can do. Knowing he's not capable of taking care of himself and knowing his naivety and immaturity alone can put him in danger. Bad people can tell when someone is naïve but then the good people he runs across can also tell. I'm hoping your son keeps coming in contact with enough good people.

For my son, his rock bottom was that he got tired of living a life where he wasn't sure what was going to happen from one moment to the next. He went through many years of denying his mental illness until one day he decided he'd had enough. I had long stopped trying to tell him to go to the mental health clinic, stopped telling him to do anything to get out of his situation. I had come to the realization that me trying to guide him just gave him someone to fight against to do the opposite. When my son wasn't raging at me for his choices and would complain to me about something I would say things to him like "hmm, what do you think you should do about that?" and let him tell me whatever, whether I agreed or not. And I would pray that someone who he trusted would influence him in a positive manner. It turned out to be the social workers in the mental health units and out patient programs. He was hospitalized against his will a number of times. For years I had been out of the picture, my only support was uber rides to doctor's and out of pocket medical expenses. The rest was up to him.

These days my son still let's people here and there take him for a ride but he's been learning slowly. He's not doing great by most people's assessment, but for him it's night and day from before.

I can't say my son ever saw the light, I think it was more like the pain of his lifestyle was greater than the pain of doing something to put his life on a better path.

Praying for you and your family.
Thank you for your comments, Deni. As someone who has been through it and come out the other side, your perspective means a lot to me.

(My quote thingy is not working but I’ll respond without it)

Yes, it is easy for someone naive and immature like my son to be taken advantage of and believe me, he has been taken advantage of or manipulated multiple times.

As far as coming in contact with good people, all his life he seemed to attract friends who were not a good influence and most behaved just like him or worse. He is a follower. He has one friend left who is actually a good influence, but he has left the area though he stays in touch. I think he has been waiting for my son to grow up but I feel he will eventually outgrow my son, as the friend is maturing as a normal 22 year old would and my son is exactly where he was four years ago at age 18. No growth whatsoever. Every time I saw what I considered growth, he would revert back to his old ways and prove me wrong.

I think asking your son “what do you think you should do about that?” makes him responsible for his own behavior, but I guarantee you if I asked my son the same question, his response would be, “I don’t know.” That is always his answer. He seems incapable of either holding himself accountable for his behavior or really addressing it in any way. Sometimes in frustration, I have replied, “Yes you DO know!

Your prayers are appreciated, Deni. Thank you.
 

Nandina

Member
Thank you Nomad for sharing your experience. You have been at this for a long time and I admire the way you take care of yourself while you manage the chaos of dealing with a mentally ill child. Not much difference in behavior from the drug addicted child who appears to be in psychosis.
the hideous realization that our adult kids don’t seem to get better , there’s nothing we can do , AND it doesn’t seem like they can get better. There are no words.
I’m not sure if my son will ever be “normal” again. Meth seems to have that effect on people. I have often wondered if he would ever fully mature. Even before the drugs. He is so far behind his peers in that respect. His friends keep waiting for him to grow up but sadly, I feel like they will eventually surpass him and have little in common with him someday.
There are a few in my support group in which I recognize this particular “thing.” No cause and effect reasoning. A disturbing inability to connect the dots regarding consequences.
Exactly. I told my counselor it’s as if a part of his brain is missing, as awful as that sounds. But something is just not there. And I think it may have something to do with his mother’s drug and alcohol abuse when she was pregnant with him. She used her drugs in the first trimester when the fetus’ brain develops. We know she only did drugs (crack, meth) early on because she was incarcerated during the latter part of her pregnancy.
Her latest locale has her in a trailer with a handicapped roommate in the middle of nowhere with no food store and no transportation. It’s gruesome…take my word fir it.
I truly get it. The day I said “goodbye” to my son, he was thinking about moving out of town to be with this girl he had met at the psychiatric hospital and knew for only a few days! And apparently, she’s homeless too. Unbelievable.

Thank you again, Nomad. The hugs, and prayers, and good advice are much appreciated.
 

Nandina

Member
Well, the unbelievable has become reality.

My son called me from jail yesterday. My first words were, “ What did you do?” His first words were, “Remember when you asked me if I had hit my rock bottom yet?” I asked him if he had finally hit it and he said he thought so.
The day I said “goodbye” to my son, he was thinking about moving out of town to be with this girl he had met at the psychiatric hospital and knew for only a few days! And apparently, she’s homeless too. Unbelievable.
He did it. He actually left town to be with this mentally ill young woman he met in a psychiatric facility and knew for just a few days. Apparently, she is homeless, sort of. She is not allowed in her house and her parents were letting her camp out in their backyard. So naturally, she lets him camp out with her. Apparently, the girl left, and he was there by himself in her yard.

Our call got cut off; it was that one free call and was only a couple of minutes long. But I looked up his charges and he was charged with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor. I imagine her parents found him camping in their yard and called the police.

Unfortunately for my son, I had previously told him if he EVER goes to jail again, I WILL NOT pay for money on his account, phone calls, food, or anything else. I made this decision after he was in jail the last time. He had money in the bank that I couldn’t access, but he agreed that any money I sent for food, phone calls or essentials would be applied against what was in the bank. He promised to pay me back as soon as he got out and could get to the money. I trusted him.

That particular jail made the inmates pay for even basic essentials like pants, shirts and more than a couple pairs of underwear, so some money was warranted, I thought. Contrary to what I’ve heard and has been stated in this forum, all jails do not pay for basic essentials. They make a ton of money off the inmates.

Well, surprise, surprise. He got out, withdrew over $500 that he owed me and blew through every dime. He has yet to pay me back even though he has been employed the last four months.

I wish he learned from consequences, because this would be a perfect lesson.

I’m so relieved I have counseling today. She keeps me sane.
 

Crayola13

Well-Known Member
Working for four months is good. Maybe four months will turn into five, eight, 22, and so on. What is the longest time he stayed at a job? Does he have solid work experience?
 

Nandina

Member
Hi Crayola, his first job was four years ago in an elementary school cafeteria where he helped prepare lunches and assisted in kitchen prep and cleanup. He was there for about 8 months, during the time he was living in transitional housing when he first became homeless due to not wanting to follow our rules, anger issues, etc. At that point, we had determined he could no longer live in our home.

The cafeteria ladies loved him and sort of took him under their wing. He was only 18 or 19. At that time, all he did drug-wise was smoke marijuana. I didn’t support that decision but there was nothing I could do about it.

But as usual, he did something to screw it up. He kept smoking marijuana on the grounds of the transitional living place. I told him if he was going to do that, take a walk or something—they’re going to catch you! His answer was that no…they didn’t care… Yeah, right. How naive. But that’s my son. They found him with drug paraphernalia and kicked him out.

He had it made in transitional living. No rent, was within walking or biking distance to work, lived right next door to his Grandma’s assisted living center so he could walk to family events there, and he had a good support system at his job. He had to quit his job after that because he had no transportation. He became homeless again.

Then he started dabbling with meth. He began doing things that were uncharacteristic of him, was charged with various crimes, and spent the next few years in and out of drug treatment and jail.

The job he had recently for four+ months was pretty much the first job since then, as a cook in a local fast food place. The manager, his friend’s mom, took him into her home knowing he was a convicted felon, gave him the job as well as trained and even promoted him. She was delighted with his performance and work ethic. Until he blew it again by doing meth and his whole personality changed.

He has a very good work ethic, which is pretty much the only thing he has ever learned from his dad and me despite our efforts as parents to make an impression on him. He rejects all else.
 

Crayola13

Well-Known Member
It’s good that he’s willing to work and performs well on the job. He seems bent on self-destruction. He’s defeating himself. I hope he gets counseling or a life coach to help him figure out why he sabotages any small amount of progress he makes. Things go ok, then he messes up. He probably doesn’t know why. Does he know why he feels the need to use meth and other substances? Depression, anxiety, etc.?
 

Nandina

Member
I have asked him what made him do meth after being free of it for so long. I thought maybe it was this: I found out after he was kicked out of his friend’s house that there had been some issues going on with the friend who had started becoming fairly manipulative. Apparently, he would try to get my son to do certain things, like accompanying him to confront someone the friend didn’t like, who had a gun. He would tell my son if he didn’t help him, he wouldn’t have a place to live anymore. Apparently he used the same threat in other circumstances, my son said.

My son was smart enough to know that confronting someone who owned an AK-47 was a bad idea, but he almost went along for fear of losing his place to stay. Thankfully, the friend’s mother called just as they were getting ready to leave, and unknowingly thwarted it.

My son had never before seen this behavior in his life-long friend, who also has some issues, non drug-related. But another friend, a good one, said that he could tell my son’s anger was building over being treated like that. I asked son if being angry led him do the meth and he said no, he just felt like doing it.

I don’t really believe that as I know how hard it is for him to express his feelings in a socially acceptable way. The anger builds and then he rages. About the only emotions he can identify in himself are intense anger and sadness. As I’ve stated before, he is considered on the spectrum and it’s not uncommon for those similarly affected to have difficulty expressing emotion. And seeing his life-long friend devolve into a manipulative little opportunist, I think really shook him up. He loved him like a brother and has known him since third grade.

And please know that I am not excusing the drug use or bad behavior. I just think there might be more to the story. And yes, Crayola, he does have both depression and anxiety but won’t seek treatment, at least not yet. He stopped medication when he turned 18. Perhaps he’ll someday realize that the only way he can have us in his life is if he enrolls in a drug and/or mental health treatment program. I keep praying for his lightbulb moment.

Thanks, Crayola, I appreciate your insights.
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I'm so sorry. One can't help but notice that "self sabotage" as you titled your post from the beginning. The story of the good job at the school cafeteria and how that went awry. Then, the complicated situations he finds himself in due to one inappropriate decision leading to some sort of chaos down the road (often shortly down the road). It's not only maddening and frustrating, but powerfully sad. It's interesting and also sad that he has trouble expressing his emotions (other than anger) as well as recognizing "issues" in others...others who are prone to and will take advantage of him. Much of this is sooo familiar to me. Confusing and heartbreaking stuff. Agree...some sort of treatment program seems warranted. Praying for that "light bulb" moment. (((hugs)))
 

Worndown68

New Member
Apologies for the length of this. I haven’t posted about my son much lately because things had been going relatively well. I posted about his stay in jail a year and a half ago and his psychotic break there after doing meth and received good advice here. After being released from jail, he entered treatment for the third time and like all the other times, got kicked out after three months of a nine month program for anger issues and not following the rules. Apparently, they gave him multiple chances and he blew every one of them. This is so typical of my son.

He is 22 and has not been allowed to live in our home for the past four years due to drug use, anger issues and not following rules. He lived with his birth family in another state for about 6 months, but realized how dysfunctional they were and decided to leave which was a good move on his part. Even with all his issues, my son and I have maintained a decent relationship.

Last December, his life-long friend who lives in our city invited him to live here with his family (at home) and with his mother’s approval. The mother also managed a business and gave my son a job there. All was good and any reports to me were positive and flattering about my son, his good manners, work ethic, kindness, and how much everybody liked him.

I tried to stay out of the picture as much as possible, because his friend’s mother was acting in the role of caretaker, taking my son to appointments, driving him to work, etc. and he was doing so well. I was breathing easy.

Fast forward to about a week ago. I got a text from her saying my son is out of control, she had to fire him and kick him out of her home. We spoke and you wouldn’t know she was talking about the same person she had sung praises for previously. She told me she had never been treated so badly in her entire life. He’s on drugs, she said, acting out, hearing voices, doing things like jumping out of a moving car, yelling and going off on people.

She was so concerned that she helped get him mental health treatment and he spent time in a psychiatric facility but apparently it was to no avail. His behavior made him homeless once again. She never communicated with me during this time and apparently tried to handle all of it on her own. I felt awful that my son had put her through this and repeated the pattern he has become so accustomed to: Blowing every opportunity anyone ever gives him. Again, and again, and again. He’s been kicked out of three homes, one transitional living situation and three drug treatment facilities in four years all for drugs, anger issues, or refusing to follow rules. His behavior ruined his life-long friendship with the young man who invited him here.

My son admitted to me that he had done meth “like maybe 5 times,” and once again, I saw all the signs…the paranoia, “God” complex, rage, talking nonsense (our government is being run by pedophiles and cannibals—I saw it on the internet!), and in general just being out of his mind.

We sadly drove him to the homeless shelter where he has spent time on and off over the last four years knowing that he needed mental health and drug treatment but would probably not seek it. Within days, he was kicked out of the shelter permanently for going off on someone who borrowed something and didn’t return it. So now he was on the streets with no job, no home or shelter, little money and not thinking clearly.

I knew it would be hard for him to find a job right away, given his recent firing and probably a poor reference from the caretaker/manager as well as being a convicted felon. He also was still affected by the meth although I haven’t seen him high anytime recently and he claims he has not used. He does want to work and has been applying for jobs.

I knew he had a couple of paychecks coming and that the money had to last until he found a job. He has absolutely no money management skills and can blow through a paycheck in no time even if drugs are not involved. I suggested only giving himself about $50 a week spending money, mainly for food, so that he would have enough to last for weeks if need be until he found a job. He even agreed to let me manage the money so I could dole it out weekly and make it last, as he is truly incapable of doing so. He turned over his ATM card to me and I breathed a sigh of relief that he would have plenty of time to find a job with me helping control his money.

But, as it turns out, my son totally disregarded this agreement and continued to go to the bank and withdraw funds. He blew through the first paycheck in a matter of days, he says, mostly on fast food. I was livid. It was a small paycheck but at $50 a week could have lasted him a month. Perhaps I should have held onto the money, but I trusted him not to touch it since he knew there would be little more forthcoming.

The next paycheck was larger and I decided to withdraw the entire check and dole it out because I knew he would blow it if he had access to it. There was enough to last him two months. He knew we had agreed on $50 a week. When I checked the balance on payday, he had already withdrawn $150 and by the end of the day had blown through the entire amount. That was nearly half of his balance. But when I tried to access the funds, something was preventing me from withdrawing anything. I found out he had placed a block on the account that he had given me permission to manage!

That was the final straw for me. He claims he was worried about getting hacked and therefore blocked the money. But I called BS on that. He just didn’t want me to have access so he could take as much money as he wanted, knowing there was no more coming and no job in sight. Because he NEVER thinks of consequences.

I recently started seeing a counselor because I’ve been overwhelmed with my son’s issues and I wanted to be sure I wasn’t enabling him and needed a little guidance. She has helped me see that we have done everything we can possibly do for him and that he needs to avail himself of the social services in our city designed to help the mentally ill or drug addicts. She suggested several options for him.

So, yesterday, with great sadness and a little anger, I made my son go through some clothes we were holding for him so he wouldn’t have to lug them around, decide which ones he wanted to keep and throw away or donate the rest because we are done. I told him he violated my trust by blocking the account and blowing through the money, and that we couldn’t help him anymore. He would be totally on his own without us in the picture for the first time since he left home four years ago. And he is down to less than $200 with no job in sight.

He was shocked, I think, that I was doing this. He mentioned taking a bus (spending even more money) to another city with a homeless shelter. He kept saying, “I know you’re probably going to try and talk me out of this.” But I didn’t. I told him I knew he would do whatever he wanted regardless of what I say. He always does. I repeatedly mentioned the services my counselor had suggested and told him when he seeks help and is enrolled in a program, feel free to contact me.

And then I dropped him off downtown. And cried all the way home.

Thanks for “listening.”
 

Nandina

Member
Thank you for your prayers, Nomad. I know you have been through some hellacious times with issues concerning your daughter.

I consider you one of the voices of experience on this forum, although it’s certainly no fun being experienced at this, is it? But those of you who are more experienced at this are so helpful to those members here just beginning to deal with detaching from or other issues of their wayward adult child. They learn that they can eventually live a good, somewhat peaceful existence with some self-care, perhaps therapy or support systems, and a lot of consistency.
I'm so sorry. One can't help but notice that "self sabotage" as you titled your post from the beginning. The story of the good job at the school cafeteria and how that went awry.
Sometimes I wonder if my son knowingly screws up just so he can get out of an undesirable situation that he seems incapable of handling in an acceptable way.

For instance, he liked his cafeteria job but I don’t think he liked living under the rules of the assisted living home at the same time, especially the curfew. He had just recently gotten his freedom, becoming homeless, so he was used to doing whatever he pleased. My son hates rules in general. My husband and I often joke that he never met a rule he couldn’t break.

Concerning the recent living situation with his friend, by the end of his four-month stay there he absolutely hated it and told me so (not at the time). I can think of no other reason why except that his “friend” was treating him poorly, and had discovered that he could use my son to do his dirty work by threatening to kick him out. There were not a lot of restrictive rules in that house or other reasons he would hate it. He was fairly independent, as much as he could be, considering he was dependent on the friend for transportation.

I’ve mentioned the two were life-long friends who, beginning when they were in third grade, would swear that they absolutely would be friends for life. It was real cute at the time. And so far, they had been. But as my son told me, the friend had changed.

How does one handle that reality given the social situation deficits of my son, who discovered all this after he moved in with the friend? He simply lacks the skills to express his feelings appropriately and instead lets anger build up over the unfairness of it all, and after he has reached his limit, explodes. He is normally a gentle person. Meth totally changes his demeanor.

I actually asked my son if he did the meth so he could be tougher when having to deal with the awful way his “friend” was treating him. He said no, but I wonder. I think it’s just easier for him to say no, or I don’t know, than to confront and express his feelings of being genuinely hurt by someone he truly cared about.

Not excusing the behavior here. Just trying to understand it.
 

Nandina

Member
One question I have (and might be unanswerable) is if my son will be permanently unable to express certain feelings because his brain is just incapable or could he learn how to express through therapy, etc.? Has anyone here had any experience with a child/adult child on the autism spectrum who has trouble expressing feelings?

He is actually a loving soul who seems to perceive himself as a lot tougher than he is. But I also feel like whatever meth he has done, even as a “casual” user, has intensified his anger. There is no casual usage with meth.

Our member New Leaf at the bottom of her posts describes her daughter‘s body as being “snatched” by meth. That’s what it does, it is so devastating. To the body and the mind. So highly addictive and just the worst effect on the personality that you could imagine, making someone mean, reckless, think they’re God or the devil, paranoid and manic, in addition to ravaging the body.

I’ve heard the effects on the brain can be permanent. My son had some issues before meth, mostly depression and anxiety, and a little anger. Now he exhibits all of the above.

I think he is in psychosis or is recovering from it. He’ll seem “normal” and all of a sudden say something just totally off the chart about the devil, a crazy conspiracy theory, or that a famous hamburger chain puts human body parts in its meat because he saw it on the internet!! I pray it’s not permanent brain damage but have to consider that possibility.
 

New Leaf

Well-Known Member
Hi Nandina,
Im so sorry for your troubles with your son. Prayers for you to continue on your path of self care with strength and Gods grace. When situations and consequences from our wayward adult kids choices pop up it’s hard to stay balanced and calm our aching hearts.
He is actually a loving soul who seems to perceive himself as a lot tougher than he is. But I also feel like whatever meth he has done, even as a “casual” user, has intensified his anger. There is no casual usage with meth.
My eldest daughter Rain is the same. Without drugs, a very loving and kind soul. You are correct, there is no casual use with meth. Some folks I know were able to escape its grasp and build a life without it, but it takes a lot of willpower and complete change of lifestyle. I have spoken with people who have tried it and recognized how dangerous it is and never touched it again.
Our member New Leaf at the bottom of her posts describes her daughter‘s body as being “snatched” by meth. That’s what it does, it is so devastating.
It is devastating. I’m sorry that your son has dabbled with it and seems caught up in it. My two daughters denied using it for quite some time years ago. “I only smoke pot, Mom”. But I knew it was more than “just pot” due to the changes in their looks and personality.
I’ve heard the effects on the brain can be permanent. My son had some issues before meth, mostly depression and anxiety, and a little anger. Now he exhibits all of the above.
I’m sorry Nandina, it’s such a tough thing to witness. I’ve researched about meth a bit on the web. There is hope that one can gain back their potential and recover. It is not an easy drug to kick because of the effect it has, the extreme highs and crashes when sober. It has been a long, long road for my family and I. I definitely have my ups and downs with dealing with the sadness. The reality. There are times that I drive by the parks Rain frequents, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. My Tornado left court ordered rehab last month and after “hiatus” on the streets, is back in jail again. It has been her pattern to reach out and reconnect from rehab, or jail, then go completely off radar when she is out there somewhere. That hurts. Her being in jail has become a relief to me. At least I know where she is. Never thought I would be happy that my kid was in jail. Huh. Sigh.
I totally understand going no contact for your own sanity and protection. I have done that as well. It is hard to connect with our adult kids when they become untrustworthy and behave more like predators than family.
I pray that with the strength you have shown and help from your family and counselor, that you are able to rise above the choices your son makes. We certainly didn’t raise our children to lead this kind of life and it is painful to witness. Please take good care of yourself and do things that bring you light and joy. It is important to work at lifting ourselves up from the darkness that envelopes our wayward adult kids. I have to remind myself to keep back from the rabbit hole. Praying helps tremendously, and focusing on keeping solid relationships with my well children and grands. There is always a certain melancholy that exists in dealing with my two, processing their choices and appearances, then disappearances. How I know the work it takes to bring balance into our lives. Please take care and keep up the good fight to find peace in your life!
(Hugs)
New Leaf
 

Nandina

Member
Hi Nandina,
Im so sorry for your troubles with your son. Prayers for you to continue on your path of self care with strength and Gods grace. When situations and consequences from our wayward adult kids choices pop up it’s hard to stay balanced and calm our aching hearts.

My eldest daughter Rain is the same. Without drugs, a very loving and kind soul. You are correct, there is no casual use with meth. Some folks I know were able to escape its grasp and build a life without it, but it takes a lot of willpower and complete change of lifestyle. I have spoken with people who have tried it and recognized how dangerous it is and never touched it again.

It is devastating. I’m sorry that your son has dabbled with it and seems caught up in it. My two daughters denied using it for quite some time years ago. “I only smoke pot, Mom”. But I knew it was more than “just pot” due to the changes in their looks and personality.

I’m sorry Nandina, it’s such a tough thing to witness. I’ve researched about meth a bit on the web. There is hope that one can gain back their potential and recover. It is not an easy drug to kick because of the effect it has, the extreme highs and crashes when sober. It has been a long, long road for my family and I. I definitely have my ups and downs with dealing with the sadness. The reality. There are times that I drive by the parks Rain frequents, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. My Tornado left court ordered rehab last month and after “hiatus” on the streets, is back in jail again. It has been her pattern to reach out and reconnect from rehab, or jail, then go completely off radar when she is out there somewhere. That hurts. Her being in jail has become a relief to me. At least I know where she is. Never thought I would be happy that my kid was in jail. Huh. Sigh.
I totally understand going no contact for your own sanity and protection. I have done that as well. It is hard to connect with our adult kids when they become untrustworthy and behave more like predators than family.
I pray that with the strength you have shown and help from your family and counselor, that you are able to rise above the choices your son makes. We certainly didn’t raise our children to lead this kind of life and it is painful to witness. Please take good care of yourself and do things that bring you light and joy. It is important to work at lifting ourselves up from the darkness that envelopes our wayward adult kids. I have to remind myself to keep back from the rabbit hole. Praying helps tremendously, and focusing on keeping solid relationships with my well children and grands. There is always a certain melancholy that exists in dealing with my two, processing their choices and appearances, then disappearances. How I know the work it takes to bring balance into our lives. Please take care and keep up the good fight to find peace in your life!
(Hugs)
New Leaf
Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts, New Leaf. You have been at this a long time and have worked hard at lifting yourself up out of that darkness. But it takes great effort, doesn’t it?

Bless you for providing a loving and stable home for your grands in the midst of it all. When you can, I hope you’ll give us an update on how they’re doing. I pray they are doing well.

(my quote thingy is not working again)

As far as meth being so dangerous and hard to kick, I’ve learned that today’s meth is so much more damaging than the meth of our day. That meth was bad enough, but didn’t cause the almost instantaneous psychosis and delusional behavior that today’s meth does. It is just shocking to watch the effect it has on the mind and body of a loved one in such a short amount of time.

It’s strange, I gave my son so many stern warnings not to even try meth. I would tell him it’s made with drain cleaner and other nasty chemicals you never want in your body. Surely that would dissuade him, I thought. I told him he had huge addiction issues in his family with both parents and both sets of grandparents being alcoholics/addicts and that he could become instantly addicted if he touched it. What good did it do? Sometimes I wonder if my warnings just made him more curious to try it. As you say, New Leaf, sigh.

As a parent, you hope your talks and lectures and sage advice will make an impression on your child. When they are ignored, it feels like a big slap in the face. Why did he ignore that? Does he even respect me as a parent? I thought I was getting through.

My dad warned us kids of the ravaging effects of heroin use when I was young. He said all it would take is trying it one time and you would become instantly addicted. Believe me, he had me so scared I never, ever considered it!

I once had a doctor tell me that every time my son’s birth mom took a hit off her crack pipe, or smoked meth, that baby in her womb, who eventually became my adopted son, was taking that hit as well, and getting a “rush“ from it, even before he was born. That image is hard to fathom. But it probably set my son up for his eventual attraction to drugs. However, he opened the floodgates by trying them the first time in spite of all my sage parental advice.

I am full of questions with no answers like many of us probably are. But I so appreciate the comforting words from all of you who “get it.” Thank you.
 
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