One of the last things any of us want to ever have to experience is finding that our brother or any member of our family has a drug addiction problem. There are times when we find ourselves faced with that very situation and even though we may find ourselves feeling helpless, there are some things that we can do to try to help.
If you suspect that your brother may have a drug addiction problem, the signs should be there to confirm your suspicions. Often times the drug addict will distance himself from family and friends (except for those friends which are also addicts) because they don’t want those close to them to know about what they’re doing. Depending on how far along their addiction is, they could also have lost their job and even though they may not have told you about it, if they start asking for money, it could be a sign.
Other signs are a change in appearance, which can be anything from them losing weight, to not 
taking pride in how they look (they wear dirty clothes, personal hygiene falls to the wayside), even sores appearing on their skin.
In order to help your brother you have to make sure that you don’t enable him. Even though your intentions may be good when you let him borrow money, you are only allowing him a means to get drugs. You need to let him know that you love him, but that you can’t loan him any money. It’s also important to know that depending on the desperation of the addict, that you should be careful leaving them alone in your home, because if an addict becomes desperate enough, he may steal from you. Even if you think this is a behavior that your brother would never exhibit, understand that his mind is altered because of the drugs.
It’s important to try to get your brother into treatment, and gathering the family together for an intervention could help him realize the depth of his problem. Let him know how much you love him, and that you hate seeing him do this to himself and have arranged help for him with a rehabilitation facility. (Make sure you find a reputable facility that is ready to take him on the chance that he says yes to treatment) It’s important that you aren’t aggressive, but yet talk to your brother lovingly and try to do so when he isn’t high. If he isn’t willing to admit that he has a problem, the best thing to do is let him know that you love him, and that you will be here when he is ready for help, but that you can’t support him financially or allow him to live in your home. It sounds harsh, but it’s necessary to keep from enabling him.
Make sure he knows that the doors are always open when he’s ready for treatment and to change his life and that you know he’s a good person and you know he doesn’t want to be a drug addict. Remember it isn’t your fault that your brother has chosen this path, but you’re there to help him when he’s ready to walk the path of recovery.
Nick Hayes is a graduate of the Narconon drug rehab program in 2005. Nick takes much enjoyment in writing, and feels there needs to be more information about drugs and alcohol provided to the people of the world. He believes nobody should have to go through an addiction.