i hate drugs

so the situation with my grandparents has become increasingly worse and i have no control over it. this is a huge source of frustration for me. my grandmother's health has been quickly declining and i can already see that she is no longer the woman i've known all of my life. she used to be a bubbly, cheerful ball of love. a lot of the time now, she seems confused and sad. as if that wasn't enough, grandma and grandpa's living situation has started to be frightening. my drug-addicted uncle and his drug-addicted, mentally ill friend have been continuously stealing random things in my grandparents' home to pawn - a window unit air conditioner, the lawnmower, my grandmother's silver. whatever they can use to get their next fix. last week my grandfather awoke to some man standing in his closet rummaging through their things. thankfully, there was no violent confrontation and the man only took a book of checks. of course my uncle denied any involvement, and apparently he thinks he's only related to morons. my ever-forgiving and willfully naive grandparents chose not to acknowledge my uncle's role directly, but did call my mother and say that they want to move into a retirement community in lubbock as soon as possible. this is where things get even trickier.

they have a horendous financial situation because for 30 years they have footed the bill for my uncle's multiple stints in rehab, medical bills and bail. due to their generosity, they do not have the $400 required as a downpayment for the retirement community. that sickens me. obviously my family will pay for the moving expenses, but their debt is so extensive that they will probably have to file for bankruptcy. for two people that worked so hard in serving other people, this is a crushing blow.

all i want is for my uncle to be incarcerated so that my grandparents can live out their last years in peace. sadly, he knows how to work the system and is trying to get back into rehab in order to avoid jail time for the most recent in a long line of drug related arrests. my mother has offered to the DA to testify at his upcoming trial so that he will get as much jail time as possible. it's a depressing fact, but my family no longer believes that my uncle has a chance of recovery. he will most likely die a drug addict. he will not have seen his children in years or spoken to his only brother in a decade. he has burned most of the bridges in his life and i know that his behavior is his responsibility. however, it absolutely breaks my heart to have to give up on family. it sucks that at this point we have no choice, but we simply cannot allow him to continue to ruin my grandparents' well being. i'm praying that we will have them moved to lubbock in a month and then we'll be able to focus on my grandmother's health and enjoying the little time we have left with the real her. please keep us in your prayers and thoughts.