Percocet & Zopiclone Addiction - How do I get help for someone I care about?

Question

Hi there, I'm 17 and I'm looking to find help for my mom. For years my mom has been addicted to percocet & sleeping pills. She will pretty much take anything she can get her hands on for prescription medications. Just today she got a prescription filled for both the percocet and sleeping pills and has already taken 21 sleeping pills, within one day. She usually goes through 300 percocet in 3-4 days, which is extremely crazy. She has gone out like this and was at the grocery store so out of it the police were called on her. She won't realize she has a problem and I'm starting to be extremely scared. She is suffering from extreme depression after being through an enourmous load of rough times in life. I'm just so scared for her life right now, it seem slike she OD's every day, becomes extremely fatigued, can't stay awake.. she passes out like standing up doing anything, especially smoking .. which makes it that much worse. I just don't know what to do anymore, she has five kids and its at a point where she is going to die soon. Please if anyone can help, I thank you so much.

Answer 1

Tell a teacher at your school that you trust or a friend's parent. This is an adult issue  

Answer 2

Normally there's not a lot you can do. But this level of addiction is very severe, your mother needs help and that may make life a little rough for a while, but you need to do it to save her life, and for the health and safety of her other children.

Talk to a teacher you trust at school, or a school councilor. They'll have access to the resources needed to get things moving. Either them, or child protective services. Next time she passes out, an option would be to call 911 and tell them you think your mother overdosed. That will get things started in a hurry.

She needs help, and another important factor is that her being an addict puts your future mental health at severe risk. Children of addicts tend to repeat the mistakes of their parents - they get on drugs, they get pregnant to early. Don't let this happen to you. Get her to help, get yourself to some help and avoid at all cost having any children yourself. You're too young for that even without having a mother and family who need help.

I wish you the best of luck on this.