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Ambulance was called. Mom was unresponsive. She had two bottles of pills on her person. When asked where did she get them her response was I can't tell you. Mom was Baker acted. Then she was released to her own care after the hospital stay. Highly confused. Why?

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The Only thing you can do for your Mom is offer her help in getting into a treatment facility through Social Services (your local Welfare Office), where she will enter into drug treatment for a subscribed amount of time, with intensive outpatient treatment and AA or NA involvement afterwards, and for the rest of her life.

Do realize that most people fail a time or two or more, before being fully committed to stay clean and sober. She may even need to go into a Womens Sober house (or Oxford House), and stay active in her involvement to stay clean and sober for months or years,  for the added layer of help and assistance,  and the sober community environment,  in order yo stay clean, after a stint in Drug Rehabilitation. 

You need to do this once and only once, to try to get her the help she needs, and then Move On with your own life, and with you going to NA meetings to help you to stay strong and hold onto your sanity. No one, not even your own Mom should be able to hijack your life, because they are making poor choices in their lives. Good Luck,  you can do this, Stay Strong!
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Tina - I think you'll have to learn the "3 C's" to deal with this. They were incredibly helpful for me when my son (age 19) was jailed for a B&E spree he went on with his buddies. I was devastated and felt extremely guilty that something I had done - or hadn't done - caused his behavior. I finally had to realize he was an ADULT and had to take responsibility for his own actions.

I had to tell myself this every day for many weeks before I really felt it:

The 3 C's:
If I didn't CREATE it
And I can't CONTROL it
Then I can't CURE it

Keep reminding yourself.
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Rovana,
Yeah, for our loved ones who make really bad decisions.

My theory is that hell is right here. Heaven is the reward for having put up with hell here.

I guess that's not a bad deal....80-90 years of evil, addictions, torture, injustice, prejudism, hate, death and the like for an eternity of love, peace, happiness, being with God, no needs, no wants, no sickness, no anger.

I'm going to have a "show down" with Eve. She really botched things up for everyone.

Funny, I was just thinking about this subject a few days ago. Not that I'm in any hurry ('cause I want to experience retirement) but I'm looking forward to the other side.
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Don't mean this in any disrespectful way, but I sometimes think that God should have held off the free will thing.
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 Tina, mine's a brother in law, and he doesn't want to change, no one can make him, he even gets DUIs on his bicycle, since he no longer is allowed to drive - how ridiculous is that? But not funny.... Back off, pray like crazy, and see what happens; you WILL get an answer, but it will also depend on her to cooperate - free will, just as the others said. YOU also have free will, to detach if you can/want and not take on guilt for it.
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Tina,
If my 61 years have taught me anything, it's that you can only change YOU, you can't, no matter how hard you try or wish, change anyone else. 

That was a hard "pill to swallow" for me. Darn I wish I could have changed my Dad being a chronic alcoholic, my Mom being a binge alcoholic, my son being a heroin addict, another family member having had a meth addiction but I couldn't and can't.

If you go to any of the Al-Anon or Narc Anon meetings, they recite the serenity prayer.
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change,
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Watch out for yourself first because they're on a slide into h*ll and you've got to make sure you're ok.

I wish it would change. If you pray, do so daily. But also understand.....God does not cross a person's free will. I prayed for all of them until I had no strength left. Nothing changed. That's because God will let them do whatever they want to do. It's up to them to change. Sadly, some never do.
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Thank you
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Hi Tina
The only thing that makes an addict want to get clean is consequences. Hitting their personal bottom. And we can only get out of their way and let them go until they crash.

Sadly we can not give someone a better life, nor happiness and definitely not clean time or sobriety. All we have the power to do is change ourselves. We can't love a sick person well.

Hard as letting them go is, on us,   it is the loving thing to do. As for you, please try Al Anon. It's for family and friends of addicts/ alcoholics. They will teach you how to cope and live without the burden of guilt and feelings of responsibility to your sick loved one. Hang in there Sweetie, there is hope.
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I understand and I am truly sorry. My prayers are with you. I keep remembering the times my Mom took trips with me and packed picknick lunch to take us down to the creek to play in the water. I want so bad to give her a good life till her passing not just existing for the next dose. It's hard to detach which I am sure you already know. So sorry
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Tina, I sympathize with you. I've got a brother, bless his heart, who is an alcoholic, hasn't worked in about 12 years. Had life-threatening complications from the alcoholism this spring. He's made life miserable for my parents whom he lives with, he has anger issues and is always the victim. When he's sober, he's great, he helps out around the house but when he's not, its awful. The thing is, they have to want to help themselves. jail time, baker act, thats just a bandaid. Its not a cure. I think you have to decide, do you want to detach yourself from the situation and let her deal with the consequences or do you want to fight for her and try to get her into rehab? Again, she has to want help, she has to want to get better. otherwise....the cycle will continue. My mom has chosen to continue to enable my brother, she won't kick him out, she still supports him. We are hoping that this last scare was bad enough that he's going to get his act together but I'm not holding my breath and I won't make an effort for him anymore. Its on him and he can suffer the consequences.
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Thank you.
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I thank you for your kindness it's very appreciated. I am very sorry to hear of your own situation. I promise you I will be praying for you and yours. We need each other that's why we reach out. Thank you for being there. Thanks
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This is why I am reaching out! Duh! I don't know the legal aspect of it all. Or even how to go about getting someone help that doesn't want help. She has almost killed herself three times that I am aware of. Stop the sarcasm. If it was your Mom you would want someone to guide you. I tried to help her and my brother. But they refused help. My brother is a meth addict and in jail now. They feed off of each other. I need help. I am the youngest of all my siblings and I am the one that everyone is looking to , everyone is saying stuff like you know that you are the one that has to take care of her. Putting it all on my shoulders and I've tried but she refused help.
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Having unprescribed morphine on you in a crime or at least that's what they locked her up before for
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A 74 year old has no business in jail IMO. She needs help not jail time. Did you attempt to find her a rehab facility while she was baker acted?
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I just fill she should have been placed undercare legally or something. It is evident that she can't be trusted in her own care.
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I pray so. My mom has an additive personally. While my growing up days it was diet pills untill she suffered a mini stroke. For many years now it has been pain pills. My dad before he died would always complain to me that Mom would take his as well. A few months back the doctor took her off of them because she would throw herself into DTs by taking to many and running out of them so she started buying them on the streets. She had unmarked bottles in her purse when she was Baker acted. If it was say someone in their 20s or 30s they would be in jail for street drugs.
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They wouldn't put her in jail simply because she was Baker-acted. Jail isn't the appropriate place. If she had committed a crime, thats another story. And under the baker act, you can only be held up to 72hours.
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She was Baker acted and put in hospital.
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I don't understand why more information would be needed she was arrested in the past when she had unlabeled pills in her purse with no perscription to show
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Was she arrested? Did she commit a crime? Was it proved that she stole the pills? We need a little more background.
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