[quote]overstand wrote:
Not sure where to start with this, but it’s the kind of thing I don’t really know how to bring up with friends and probably wouldn’t feel comfortable with it anyway.
Over the past few years, my brother has been stealing from my family, mostly money, but also my mom’s pain medication. She’s using fentanyl patches, very powerful stuff. He stole a whole bunch of them and ended up skipping school for nearly a month just getting fucked up all day. He also stole her checkbook and wrote nearly $2k worth of checks before he got caught. She opted not to press charges, but sent him to live with my dad, where he’s stolen hundreds out of his wallet.
Just recently, he stole a $500 Amex Gift Card I had from signing a new lease with my apartment. Aside from the major incidents, I’d notice the change on my desk missing. I had a book thing with all the state quarters in it that he stole and presumably spent. He broke into my mom’s safe and took some savings bonds and cashed them. I could seriously go on and on and on, but you get the point. Kid’s a fucking klepto.
I don’t know what to do. I called my dad about the gift card and he got pissed at me, telling me that it was my fault, that I know how he is and I should have locked it up, etc. etc. He told me I can’t accuse him unless I have proof. Short of fingerprints and fucking dna evidence, he was the only person who could have done it.
Now I’m willing to accept some negligence, but the way I see it all they are teaching him is that it’s okay to steal, and that the best people to steal from are your own fucking family because ultimately nothing is going to happen to you.
I honestly think they just don’t know what to do, I was hoping some parents here might have some suggestions. And if anybody else has a troubled sibling, how did you deal with it?
For the record, he’s 18, not in school, no job, smokes pot all day, I’m 22 in college.
And yes I’ve tried hitting him. I beat the shit out of him once for stealing money from my wallet and I almost ended up getting arrested for assault. He’s the kind of kid that has no problem stealing from me and then turning around and calling the cops when I retaliate. [/quote]
Everyone on here is correct. I think that one thing that needs to be considered is that many drug addicts do not make it back alive. Your brother has got to want to change. Do you have any idea what caused this downward spiral? Helping him address the cause or recognize it could be beneficial. Until he wants help you need to separate from him. If he has truly given up and doesn’t care then all hope is lost. Hopefully he has a rock bottom and it isn’t death. That is the moment that you need to be there for him.
My brother went down the same sort of path but it started in middle school and we had lost our mother when he was 10 yrs old. He never was able to deal with that loss. He began drinking and smoking pot and ended up on oxy-Cotton. He stole from our family, and my dad came close to having him thrown in jail. I actually talked him out of it. My brother wanted help and has no support network to get it, if cut off from our limited family. He wanted to get sober and clean and enrolled in the Navy. Thankfully he was able to get a god start on sobriety and made it in to the Navy nuke program. He has recently graduated from his schooling and has remained sober and been building his pride.
Getting him some humility, as someone suggested, and a desire and outlet to better himself in anyway are important.
I wish your family and brother peace and hope that it comes with his sobriety.
