My Nephew is an Addict, Can I Tell Him I Care?

My nephew is using heroin...his dad has nothing to do with me or any family member..He has been told by a non family member that my nephew (his son) is using drugs..He does not care..How should I go about confronting my nephew? We never see him..will it help if I do tell him I care and know that he is an addict? HELP!!

Response from Daniel ...

Obviously this is not an ideal situation that can afford you a solid opportunity to intervene. From what you described the prognosis is not good. His denial and your lack of leverage are factors working against you.

You will need to have some face to face contact in order for your expressed concerns and recommendations to have any effect. If you happen to have phone contact, the next step would be to set up a time and place to meet. It doesn't sound like the necessary pieces are in place to do a formalized intervention. The only chance you will have is a "heart to heart" about his use, resultant problems and need to seek help. You may want to look in the Yellow Pages for Drug Treatment programs in your area, check with them ahead of time to make sure that they do provide treatment services, their protocols, etc., which you could relay to your nephew as options.