4 ms·

My sister is a heroin addict. To say this has devastated her life is an understatement. Her body is wrecked. She looks way older than she is, she has a pacemake

My sister is a heroin addict. To say this has devastated her life is an understatement. Her body is wrecked. She looks way older than she is, she has a pacemaker / defibrillator installed in her chest. And doctors keep saying she will die soon if she doesn't stop. Here is the most frustrating part. She has wanted to go to rehab a few times, but since she is poor and unemployed, she has no health insurance for rehab. What are her options? My parents have no money to help her. I'll never understand the bull-shit US policy towards drugs. Let's spend billions upon billions to "fight" drugs coming into the country, but let's turn a blind eye to the companies pumping out hundreds of millions of pills. Why the hell don't we spend those hundreds of billions on actually treating the disease? If there was no demand, there would be no drug war to fight. Why don't we try a new way?

jliptzin 10y ago
Very sorry to hear this story, it must be difficult for your family and for her. Do you know about how much rehab would cost for her?
maxerickson 10y ago
Is Medicaid an option?
- kilroy123 10y ago
  Sadly she only has Medi-Cal. Which only covers care for when she is detoxing. No rehab.
girvo 10y ago
I became a heroin addict at 16. I got clean, for free, with my governments help (Queensland, Australia) and opiate replacement therapy, after being an addict for six years. Ive been sober for 5 years this August. If it wasn't for that program, I'd be dead twice over by now, I'm sure of it. I'm sorry about your sister, it's horrible :(
deleted 10y ago
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matt_s 10y ago
An idea to help with this would be to call your senator/congressperson and ask that mental health and drug rehab be added to affordable care act. I'm not sure if that type of coverage is there but if they can get it added to the revamped legislation then maybe people in your sisters situation would have some avenue of hope.

jliptzin 10y ago

Very sorry to hear this story, it must be difficult for your family and for her. Do you know about how much rehab would cost for her?

maxerickson 10y ago

Is Medicaid an option?

kilroy123 10y ago
Sadly she only has Medi-Cal. Which only covers care for when she is detoxing. No rehab.

girvo 10y ago

I became a heroin addict at 16. I got clean, for free, with my governments help (Queensland, Australia) and opiate replacement therapy, after being an addict for six years. Ive been sober for 5 years this August. If it wasn't for that program, I'd be dead twice over by now, I'm sure of it. I'm sorry about your sister, it's horrible :(

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

matt_s 10y ago

An idea to help with this would be to call your senator/congressperson and ask that mental health and drug rehab be added to affordable care act. I'm not sure if that type of coverage is there but if they can get it added to the revamped legislation then maybe people in your sisters situation would have some avenue of hope.