MY BROTHER ADMITS HE’S A COKE ADDICT

Dear Coleen

My brother and I are very close and tell each other everything. He told me about 18 months ago that he’s started doing cocaine on nights out, but insisted it was under control.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but recently he’s spiralling out of control. He no longer just does it on nights out, he’ll come home from work at 5pm and do a line in his room.

He’s on brilliant wages but never has a penny to his name, and the savings account he set up to save for his own place is empty. He used to be really careful with money and now he’s borrowing off relatives.

I’m really worried about what he’s doing to his long-term health, but don’t know how to broach it with him. He acknowledges he’s addicted, but I can’t tell our parents as they’d throw him out and his situation would get worse.

Coleen says

How about telling your parents, but explaining to them that there’s no point in hitting the roof and kicking him out, and that it would be far more effective to sit down as a family and discuss calmly how he feels and how you can all support him.

Only your brother has the power to get clean – he has to want to do it, but he needs to know that doesn’t mean you’re prepared to just sit by and ignore it. Make it clear you’ll help, but that no one should be lending him money to enable his addiction.

Perhaps it’ll come down to him getting into real financial trouble or losing his job before he wakes up and decides to get help. You can visit drugs.ie for information and speak to them for advice on 1800 459 459.