Hi @OrdinaryDad, I think you an extraorindary Dad. I wish my sons father would care about them like you do for your children. Your story really resonated with me, it made me think that could be my situation in another 10 years time. I think your rant was accurate, the system is not designed to support or help those in need in their time of need. There are wait times - sometimes months and when in crisis that is not good enough. I too have battled with my boys and the mental health systems, detox and withdrawal facilities etc. My eldest son that has just recently gone into rehab is doing well. I am so proud to say that it has been 7 weeks and that is the longest he has been clean in 8 years. He sounds good and he is taking his BPD meds and getting counselling. The relief I feel has tears flowing as I type this. He had to go through 7 days withdrawal before he could go into the rehab and I couldn't get him into anywhere in Vic. All had wait queues and he was in such a bad way that I knew I would lose him if I waited. I took 10 days off work and took him to my parents house and we locked it down with the 4 of us in there and stood united and strong to get him through the 7 days. It wasn't easy neither was it pretty but it worked.

Life feels easier in the sense that I can breathe a little better and i can now concentrate on my 18 year old son and help him move on on life. He is Bipolar 2 and has been also diagnosed very recently as BPD, that scares me as I am terrified of what my eldest put me through may replay with my younger son too.I am more educated on this now and he has had 2.5 years of counselling and is medicated so fingers crossed he will be able to live a clean, independant and happy life. Mental illness doesn't just go away, its there for a lifetime and that frightens me.