Tips On How To Help A Loved One With An Addiction
Research suggests that Americans battle addiction more than they battle all kinds of cancer combined. Fighting addiction isn’t easy, but helping an addicted individual can be just as tough. Keep reading as we offer insight into steps that you can take and help your loved one get sober.
When you suspect that a loved one suffers from an addiction, there is a need to learn everything about the specific substance abuse case. Different drugs come with different symptoms, treatment and health effects, and this means that you will need to determine what one is going through physically and mentally. The more information one has about an addiction, the more useful the information can be when you try to guide someone to sobriety. Helping a loved one fight an addiction is stressful and scary, but knowledge is power.
If you are trying to help a particular person fight addiction, it is likely that you might want to protect them and excuse the behavior. Even though your intentions will be genuine, when you shield an addicted person, they might never discover how severe their addiction is. There are times when one has to hit rock bottom in order to make an effort towards fighting their addiction. While it is not advisable to give them tough love, it is also not advisable to condone their addiction either. One might feel like the bad guy when watching a loved one suffer, but interfering through enabling will lead to much suffering down the road.
Although it is challenging, the best route when one wants to help an addict is persuading them to seek treatment. The quality care offered by the experts will prove beneficial for the individuals looking to achieve sobriety. One will have different ways to use and convince addicted persons to seek treatment. If you learn that a given person turns to drug to stem from a mental illness or escape from reality, you can convince them to turn to therapy which is a healthier coping mechanism. ASAM level 1 class is one such therapy, considering that it has been designed to help the addict feel safe, considering that it is supportive and nonjudgmental. In the case of individuals with severe addiction, extensive rehab programs to help their recovery.
Since the road to recovery isn’t linear, there is a need to be patient and empathetic with the addicted persons throughout the journey. Contrary to prevalent stigmas, addiction is a disease. No matter what happens, there is a need to support the efforts of a given individual to recover by reminding them that you are proud of them trying their best.