It can be really difficult to see a friend or family member going on a downward spiral due to addiction. Of course, you want to help, but it’s not that easy to do it in such a delicate situation, as what you think is right may end up worsening the situation even further.
It’s not easy, but you should always provide the best support you can to your addicted loved one.
Not all situations are the same, as each case is unique. To help, here are some of the things to do and avoid, in general:
Table of Contents
Do:
- Develop trust
- Learn more about addiction
- Be honest
- Research treatments
- Respect boundaries
Don’t:
- Threaten them to get sober
- Look down on them
- Criticize
- Ignore them
- Give up
- Rush changes
It’s Difficult
Having a friend or family member suffering from substance abuse is a sensitive and delicate situation, as they may not have the same mindset. If you want your loved one to get better, many things can make it difficult, such as:
- They may not realize the problem
- They feel awkward about sharing such a sensitive issue with you or doctors and counsellors
- They don’t want to change
- They aren’t open to sharing the problem due to fear or embarrassment
- They don’t want the possible consequences of admitting the problem, such as jail or losing their career
- They may be stressed about you trying to help them when they feel they don’t need it, leading them to lean on addiction even more as a way to cope
Overcoming addiction isn’t easy. It’s a long process that takes a lot of commitment to work, and the key to making it work is making sure that the person suffering from addiction realizes that they need to get better.
To ensure that your loved one is committed to overcoming their addiction, you can help them by taking small steps to lead them in the right direction. A great way of doing that is following CRAFT or community reinforcement and family training, a method of helping people deal with addiction as an alternative to traditional methods.
Develop Trust with One Another
Addiction treatment is a long process, and trust from both sides is essential to ensure that you can get through it. If any of you have broken each other’s trust, it can be difficult to re-establish it, but you need to do it.
When helping your loved one, there are many ways that things can go wrong, but here are some of the things you can do to avoid breaking trust:
- Stress – People succumb to addiction to cope with stress, so make sure to make the situation as less stressful as possible.
- Trust is a two-way street – For you to have any hope of success, you need to trust your loved one, and you need them to trust you.
- Different opinions – You may think that something can help your loved one, but you don’t know if they see it that way, too. Instead of helping, they may feel like you’re trying to make them do something ineffective.
You Need Help, Too
You need to help your friend, but you need to know that you also have to help yourself, too. You can do it by realizing and accepting that it’s a long, difficult process that requires commitment. Furthermore, it will be stressful, which is why you have to be prepared to manage stress well.
For others, two ways of coping with the stress of helping a friend or family member defeat addiction are through learning stress management strategies and joining support groups.
The Importance of Communication
You’ve decided to help your loved one suffering from drug addiction, and we know that you want to tell them how you want to be helping and supporting them all the way through. However, you also have to let them know about the process and the sacrifices you both need to make.
It’s a tricky situation that needs communication and honesty from both sides. You can tell them all about the support and help you’re willing to give. However, at the end of the day, you need good communication to ensure that they are committed to getting better.
To encourage that, you need good communication and honesty without being intimidating or threatening, so you can let them open up to you as well about getting better.
Find Treatment
To have any success in helping your loved one get away from addiction, you need to find a treatment that works for you. If you’re involved in the treatment, here are some tips:
- Open up – Let them know about how the experience has been for you and how you want things to turn out after treatment.
- Don’t be intimidating – Let them know about your feelings, but don’t scold or intimidate them. Remember, they are also victims of addiction.
- You might receive blame – They will open up, too, and you may receive some unexpected blame about their addiction. Be calm about it and listen openly.
If you’re not involved in their treatment, here are some things to consider:
- Respect their privacy and don’t let other people know about the situation.
- If they don’t want to tell you about some things, respect their privacy, too.
- Be patient. It’s a long process, and it’s easy to get frustrated when you’re not that involved.
If you’re looking to find treatment for your addicted loved one, rehabilitation in Bali provides a peaceful, getaway atmosphere that works well together with professional treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.