**purplehaze ** I have been thinking about you and wondering how things were turning out. At least you are working - so sorry it continues to be rough otherwise.
haze, do you like talking on the phone, or via IM? There may be available to you, either via work, your school or because it’s in the area, one of those “hopeline” services. The service for the uni where I was last year offered both phone and IM services. It may be possible to drop off part of the coursework and take those next semester: would that help?
Your school may also have a medical center which will be used to dealing with stress and may be more affordable and comprehensive than other local services, and you should be able to set up an appointment for a time that mixes well with your classes.
And leave work at 17:00:00, work will survive without you.
+1
thoughts & prayers in your direction
Haze, I hate to tell you this, but you need to turn your daughter out of the house. Now.
She is a danger to every one in the family due to her addiction and apparently has no desire to stop using drugs. As long as you feed/clothe/shelter her, you are enabling and furthering her addiction. She needs to go, for the sake of the other members of your family.
Escort her to the door and then call a locksmith and change the locks.
It’s not a great solution but it is the best for your family as a whole.
Some families write off their losses. Other families accept that every non-addict will have a somewhat reduced quality of life and increased stress because they love the person inside the addict. Every family finds a different balance: we don’t enable, but we keep communication lines open, and our addict has found other enablers anyway. I’m not saying your advice here is wrong, but it’s not the only way, and I don’t think it’s terribly useful to imply that it is. purple haze is looking for ways to cope, not additional highly stressful actions that may or may not be the right choice anyway.
I’m sorry, Purple. That sucks. Not to quote platitudes but in “Wisest thing people have said” thread, someone posted “When you’re going through hell, keep on going.” I had a horrible 2009 and I found this helped. I just kept going and things eventually got better. I second seeing if your new company has an EAP program. If not, you always have us to vent to. We’re always happy to tell you how to run your life… 
Is there anyone in your cohort you can lean on to help you with taking lecture notes and stuff like that? Anyone you’ve helped in the past that you can call in a favor on? Now’s the time.
If you feel you have to drop out a semester, check and see if you college has a “compassionate leave” program that will allow you to come back at the same rates and the same graduation requirements.
Since your job is so new, I’d advise you to use the services of your school, rather than the job. Unless this job is something you’re planning on leaving when school is done.
Good luck, purple haze. Keep surviving one day at a time.
That’s a lot to cope with. I hope things start to ease up for you.
I’m not a doctor but I am able to Google “causes of thumb twitching” and my untrained diagnosis is that the twitching is not related to your overall stress levels. More likely it is a muscle cramp, nutritional deficiency or overconsumption of caffeine. In rare cases it can be an early indication of some more serious conditions, so it’s best to have this checked out when you have a chance.
Continuing in my not-a-doctor diagnosis, I’m fairly confident that any real doctor would prescribe somthing to help you deal with things emotionally. I’ve known people who took a small amount of Xanax daily for years with no obvious ill effects. Given that there’s an addict in your family, though, this option might not be appealing to you.
Hang in there. Things will get better.
I had the twitching thumb for about a week recently. Scared me to death, I thought I was coming down with some neurological disease. I googled it and found a lot of ‘yeah, it happened to me to, but it went away’. So I had it for about a week an really only noticed it at night, when things were quiet and I was on the computer or reading. It went away, sure enough. (my own feeling is it was a tic, like at the corner of your eye, or a jumping muscle in your leg, but of course I can’t say for sure.)
I really think nothing is so important as doing something about your daughter. She is the number one cause of your stress, never mind work or school. I don’t know how people can live with an addict under their roof, yet I’m a mom, too, and don’t know what I would do in your place.
so…I don’t seem to know much, do I? But I’m sending good vibes your way. Good luck.
You work full-time AND study full-time?!? Woah … Does each side know about the other? (In other words, does your boss know you’re staying late and keeping up a full course load?)
I wish I had something more useful to offer than sympathy from one **purple **to another. Everyone’s already said all the “You should talk to …” suggestions I had.
For the record, benzodiazepines like Xanax are extremely addictive (and the withdrawal is not only very unpleasant but also potentially dangerous). I’m sure there are doctors who prescribe them because they are a quick fix and people love them (as people tend to love anything addictive) but I definitely would not encourage someone with an addict in the family to start down that road.