me again!

[usandthem]

Well done Maggiem and your daughter. She sounds like she has all the support and love she needs and also space to go the way she feels will be best for her and those that have helped to support her. Maggie, I don't think you have been selfish it is that you want to help her to get the best out of life and I am sure she will prosper from the love and support you and the family have given her.

Trytobebalanced: Please forgive me as I didn't want that last post to sound patronizing. There is a lot of great key-work - service support and help which is one of the benefits of being in treatment. Many services give great guidance to help the user find and get involved in some voluntary or apprenticeships or other motivational activities.  This can work well and be very therapeutic for some users who are in treatment.

 Some of these referrals and schemes can also help those who are currently in maintenance and are looking for motivational guidance. Yes Jules. Do-it is a great site for getting a foot in the door and the hours are very flexible too.

John 

[angiesims AKA true grit :)]

Maggie I commend you. What a woman. Just like my mum. Your daughter is still so young and there is a life to be had maintenance or not. She needs to stop rushing it because I and pretty sure the rest on here have all done that previously and failed. She is doing great but feels she's not. Not unusual to be feeling like that. Once unsupervised and on weekly pick ups hopefully she can start about filling her life up with either voluntary work or paid. That alone will release a lot of stress on you both. Hope she sorts the hep c out because that's sumat she shouldn't pass off. I did the same, worried for years and thankfully all was well. Your in a better place as you put it and with your support I'm sure it will get better 

[sapphire]

maggie - you sound lovely! I bet loads of people with addiction problems would love a mum so empathetic, understanding and open minded.

I think you may be right about the maintenance thing, often when people get down to the last few mls of methadone and want to hirry to be 'off', that is where trouble comes and it really is best to take ir slow.

I mean, decreases in methadone dosage are meant to be no more than 10% of the starting dose every 2 weeks, so if your daughter is on 15ml/day, she should only be looking at dropping in 1ml or less increments, then maybe dosing every other day when she gets to 1ml.

I think you have the right idea, that it would be better for her to sort out her health, employment, housing etc before making such a big leap and coming off methadone totally?

The Hep C thing though does need sorting, as if it's caught early on enough it can easily be dealt with, we have a few poeple on the board who have gone through the Hep C treatment and are now free of it, so the treatment is out there, and it does work.

Best to get it taken care of whilst she's relatively young, and also if she might want to start a family one day, beter to get the treatment now and not risk getting pregnant and the baby catching Hep.

What you are doing by supporting her decsions and educating yourself about treatment so you can assist your daughter in her recovery is so very much more than a lot of mothers would do, I've lost count of the friends I have that don't speak to their families becase of addiction, so she is very blessed to have you!