Ways To Support Your Loved Ones As They Attemtp To Overcome Drug Addiction

#1 Get educated.

You can’t help fight an enemy you don’t understand. Learn about addiction — the signs, the treatments, the relapse triggers — and talk to your loved ones about drugs and alcohol from an early age. Of course, education is no guarantee of healthy choices, but it can be a powerful tool in preventing drug abuse and finding a way to recovery.

If your loved one goes into treatment, participate in any family programs that are offered. The education and encouragement offered by a drug rehabilitation center can help you support your loved one and take care of your own needs at the same time. Then continue to be a source of support and accountability post-treatment, when drug cravings and triggers heighten the relapse risk. Most drug victims are shouldering a heavy burden in their lives. It’s only by understanding the core problem is that you be able to help. You can coax them into opening up to you and eventually solve the problem at hand.

#2 Enter your own treatment or therapy.

Addiction is often referred to as a family disease, and if your loved one has been struggling with alcoholism or drug abuse you may have found yourself in a codependent role, participating in enabling behaviors. Al-anon is one group for families of addicts to enter their own recovery process, but seeking your own individual therapy could benefit you personally as you work through the many emotions that loving an addict has brought on.

#3 Take care of yourself.

A critical lesson for Eve was the importance of being good to herself, regardless of whether her son was doing well. You can’t control another person, but you can make healthy decisions for yourself. And you must in order to have any hope of being able to support and encourage your loved one.

For some people, groups like Al-Anon provide a safe place to get education and fellowship with others who are facing similar struggles. Others prefer seeing a therapist privately or joining a different type of support group.

Whatever your path looks like, “you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep looking forward, not back,” Eve says. “There’s no way to make sense of it. There’s no reason why my son should’ve died. Give yourself over to a higher power — for me, it was the only way I could live my life.”

There’s a lot of pain and grief involved when you love someone with a substance abuse problem. Your other family members and friends may not grieve in the same way as you and may have their own ideas about how to handle the situation.

#4 Offer Genuine Support

Genuine support comes from the heart. It means that you genuinely care for and love the person. Their optimum health and recovery are your best interest. As such, you are willing to help them without anything in return. A drug addict is more compelled to change after receiving genuine support.

#5 Be Consistent (But Not Overbearing)

The process of overcoming addiction is not only physically draining but also emotionally and psychologically draining. If the process of remission is hard for you and you’re not even a drug addict, imagine how nightmare it is for the victim.That’s why it’s important for you to understand their feelings. Don’t just reprimand them when they fail. Ask your loved one while he was tempted to go back again. What was their mistake? Explain to them gently why what they did was a mistake. Also, tell them how to avoid committing the act again. As they say, offer constructive criticism.

#6 Stop all enabling behaviors.

Learn about how you have been enabling the addiction and stop all enabling behaviors. Know that when your loved one says how much they want to leave treatment (even pleads with you about how terrible it is) this is the disease manipulating them and you. Your loved one is where they need to be in order to get better, and you need to remain strong and ask them to stay put.

#7 Build a sober social network.

It’s important to have sober friends who will support recovery.Help them find sober recreational activities and participate together in them. Support the development of a new social network by talking openly about ways to meet sober friends.

#8 Talk about it.

Talking about the problem can be healing both for the person trying to overcome addiction as well as their loved ones. A person with a drug problem may be reluctant to come to you and ask for help, but if you can tolerate the lies and manipulation, an open dialogue is your best chance to be there for them when they need you most.

“Work on building a good relationship, without judging or accusing,” Eve suggests. “You have to step back, you can’t be on top of them all the time, or they won’t trust that they can come to you.”

For loved ones trying to take care of themselves, nothing is more toxic to your healing than shame. Eve had many friends who struggled with addiction in their family but were too ashamed to talk about it.

#9 Remind them of positive coping strategies they can use when managing stress.

One thing your family member will be doing in early recovery is learning new ways to cope with stress. It is difficult to change our patterns of thinking — and likely drinking or using drugs will still be the first thought in response to stress. If you see stress building, gently remind your loved one of the healthy coping skills they have learned through recovery.

#10 Know the signs of relapse so you can help prevent or minimise the severity of a relapse.

Know the early warning signs that an addict is headed for relapse and get to know your loved one’s specific relapse prevention plan. In addition, develop a family plan in advance that details how you will respond to early relapse signs or an actual relapse.

Remember that relapse is a part of addiction that no one wants to experience, but it does happen. If your loved one relapses, help them get back on track with their addiction recovery as soon as possible and let them know they are not a failure and you still believe in them.