New to OOT. Have custody of my nephews. LONG

[NT!]

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Diddy - Yes I do believe that she uses us as a safety blanket. I didn't know and I don't think she is aware of what NT is saying about the Timeframe. I honestly don't know if that would help her though. Right now she seems really stuck in a rut and nothing seems to help her.

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The timeframe for termination of parental rights (TPR) comes from the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), passed by Congress in 1997. It's not guaranteed that they will file right away, but in my experience, New York State tends to be pretty prompt in terms of filing a TPR when ASFA requires it.

It's normal for your sister to have relapses, struggle, and take a long time. Most of the studies of successful drug recovery say that it's non-linear and highly unpredictable. All this 'she has to hit absolute rock bottom before she gets the picture' stuff is mostly pop psychology BS. Addicts do 'use' loved ones all the time in their destructive behavior, but they also need those relationships to get clean. The whole idea of turning your back on them until they get better is kinda Puritanical and, in the long run, ineffective. There's always somebody with an anecdote to the contrary, but turning your back ends up hurting a lot more people than it helps.