This is very true. Mine's been there for seven years already and it's the only thing that's kept him sober.

My fear is that something will happen to me or my parents and that he'll have missed time with us going along with missing a funeral. You're not just locked up from freedom, you're locked up from your family too.

Thanks everybody for all the kind words. I'm glad you all still care.

Yeah, it's tough. He's missed two weddings, two births, and several funerals just in our family, not to mention the major life events of his friends and biological father's. Like he always says though, he hates where he is but at least he didn't miss these things because he OD'ed and died.

UPDATE TIME

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/be/beeea...5c65ba5d8f.jpg

So, I just wanted to update this thread for anybody that still remembers the issues I had with my brother. For those of you who don't...

tldr; Younger brother does heroin for number of years, steals from me and my family, steals from friends, gets fired from numerous jobs, gets admitted to rehabs and mental facilities for months, drives my father to serious depression, causes my parents thousands, all culminating in an attempted robbery of a gas station that leads to him being in jail all of this summer. He is now enrolled in drug court and if he f*cks up he will be in prison for five years. He got out of jail on Halloween.

So, Ryan is doing f*cking awesome.

He's been home about two months now and the change in him is incredible. Sure, he isn't perfect. He is still jobless but I can't even explain how much of a different person he is. I have my brother back. Christmas Eve the four of us had one of the best nights together as a family, talking, laughing, for hours. His grip on his past and his future is encouraging and he's doing everything that the drug court is asking from him. He has passed all his drug tests and hasn't missed an outpatient program even though he has to take several buses past the area where he would get high, to get there.

Time will tell if this holds up, but I feel he's finally turning a new leaf.

Just wanted to update.

That's absolutely amazing news Exo, I'm so pleased for you and your family. Hopefully he stays on this track and his old ways are truly behind him, I think jail has given him the fright he finally needed to sort himself out :).

Great news!! All the best!

That's really awesome to hear, Exo!

Wow, that takes some serious commitment right there alone. That is not an easy thing to do.

Awesome dude! Thanks for the update.

Best. Christmas. Present. Ever!
Excellent news Exo. Delighted for you and your family.
Have a great New Year!
:beer:

What everyone else said. Glad to hear it man.