God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.

OxyABUSE     Kills.com

Write up a contract before your addict comes home, gets bailed out of jail or you pay for more treatments. Do this when your addict is ready for help and sincere about quitting, whatever stage of recovery he or she is in. Typically do this after a relapse and, one hopes, is detoxed. Each family’s contract will be different. Below is an example of ours. Some of the items will not apply to your family, and you may want to include other items. You want the addict to know that you are serious about helping him or her recover, and that the rules you write will help him or her learn boundaries and discipline. Structure is a key to a successful recovery.

Contract

I, _________________________________, promise to follow all house rules:

Up by 9:00 am, bed made, blinds open, room picked up.
NO FOOD or DRINKS other than water and Gatorade upstairs. 

Eat a healthy breakfast.

Exercise daily.

Read Daily- a self-help and/or inspiring book- tell me one thing you learned each day.

Help with Chores, preparing lunch and/or dinner.

Attend one meeting every day…get involved in a group.

Go to counselor/ psychologist for outpatient help.

Go to Mass twice a week and Adoration on Wednesdays.

Weekly drug screening test.

Keep a daily journal

Make a list of goals for the following day in the evening.

Go to bed by midnight.

Signature_________________________________________________________
 

In the beginning he wasn’t hungry and I was worried. He was feeling nauseated from withdrawal, and he hadn’t eaten well in over a year. After a couple of weeks, he was feeling better and eating more regularly. He does eat a lot of sweets.

I didn’t follow through keeping a journal and I wished I had. This would have helped him track his thoughts so he could remember how he felt when he first quit, was detoxing and going through withdrawals. “I never want to do this again,” he told me. “I feel terrible. My back aches. I feel sick.”