When someone is struggling with addiction issues, they are not the only ones to suffer the consequences. Family members are also plunged into feelings of pain, fear, loss, and weariness and everyone close to the addict is affected. Learning how to live with an addict can be difficult because it requires knowing the difference between helping their suffering and enabling their addiction.
Follow these tips so you can help your loved one with their addiction issues while ensuring you are not enabling them to abuse substances or alcohol even more:
Get Educated
Many people feel they have the knowledge about addiction to be able to help but this is not the case. Consult a doctor to get more information about the facts and how best to seek treatment for drug addiction.
Call on Others for Support
When a loved one has an addiction, it’s easy to play the ‘blame game’ and family members are often left feeling discouraged from getting involved. Seeking support from others with a more objective view of the family situation can serve to reduce feelings of helplessness significantly.
Be Patient
Addiction is not formed overnight and so it makes sense that recovery can take time. How long patients need drug addiction treatment depends on individual circumstances and sometimes, even relapses can be possible. Be patient with recovering addicts and maintain communication throughout the process, as hope is a powerful tool in treatment for drug addiction.
Eat Meals as a Family
An essential part of an addict’s recovery is to restore or introduce new routines into daily life. Eating as a family allows everyone to catch up on the day’s events in a relaxed setting and goes a long way to re-establishing family bonds.
Attend Family Therapy
Family therapy is designed to deal with feelings of distrust, guilt, and stress within families of addicts and can be transformative in the recovery process for all parties. At these sessions, it is possible for families who previously felt defined by anger and addiction to significantly improve relationships through communication.
If a close friend or family member is suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, we understand you are going through a difficult time as much as they are. Our
approach to alcohol and drug detox encompasses the relationships the addict has with others and serves to build bridges and mend ties as part of the process and as an integral part of successful recovery. Contact our
experienced therapists here at
Capo Canyon Recovery for a
confidential consultation today.
Read More on the Blog:
Why Addiction is a Family Affair
