PMMAMA and Crzcyx
sorry if I spelled them wrong):
How do you assess them for their amount of drug use? I have some experience working with substance abusers but it has been more with the dually diagnosed MICA population, and I have always been more of the part of treatment for the mental illness. It's totally different I think when it is actually someone you know and care about and not a "client". A rule of thumb I've learned from working with my clients is that if a positive comes up for drug use and they say "I used once last wknd or whatever" that usually means they have probably used several times more than that that I don't know about. I agree with the statement about NA/AA as I have seen and heard first hand of people getting involved in these groups and they continue to use because they meet more negative peers to hang out with. As for my friend making the seperation with some of their friends, they have realized this is an issue. Some of their friends are reportedly aware they have a problem too. My friend has said that they have started not to attend certain parties/gatherings where they know a lot of drugs will be present. Okay, another issue, is substituting one substance for another, like alcohol or marijuana. What has your experience been with this?