Having someone in your life who is struggling with a heroin addiction is a challenge, and this is especially true if he or she lives under your roof. The person's presence and obvious challenges can break your heart as well as inject a high degree of chaos into your daily existence. Even though your chief objective may be to help get this person into treatment, you also need to look out for yourself — and that includes keeping many items in your home locked up in a safe for which only you know the combination. Here are some things to keep locked away.

Cash And Valuables

There's no doubt that the heroin addict who lives in your home may, at some point, think about stealing cash and valuables. The addict can use the stolen cash to support his or her habit, while also selling your valuables to turn into cash to buy drugs. While many things in your home have some value, look for those with the highest value and that the addict could reasonably sell quickly. For example, jewelry is something that the person may steal and be able to sell to a pawn shop in a short amount of time.

Prescription Medication

Even if the addict's drug of choice is heroin, he or she may take to raiding your home's medicine cabinet if prescription drugs are available. You should take the prescriptions of any family members living in the residence and lock them in your safe. This is especially true if you have opioids or other painkillers, as many of these drugs share similarities with heroin and may be especially sought after. Whether the addict takes the drugs and uses them or sells them, you don't want them falling into his or her hands.

Firearms

Many drug addicts have a high rate of depression that may lead to thoughts of suicide. For heroin addicts, this can especially be a concern, given how miserable the addict feels when he or she is going through a withdrawal process before getting his or her drugs. If you're a firearm owner, your guns should ideally be locked in a gun safe all the time. However, not every gun owner takes this approach. If you have weapons where the addict could reach them, you need to lock them up immediately. Even if the addict weren't to use one of your weapons to harm himself or herself, he or she could attempt to sell it.

For more tips, or if you are looking to get your friend into a substance abuse treatment program, contact a professional rehab and treatment center in your area, such as Bridgeway Recovery Services Inc.