Watching someone you love go through addiction is difficult. You want to do everything in your power to help them through it, but it’s not easy to do that and take care of yourself at the same time.
You’ve got to educate yourself about addiction and learn about it before you can help them with recovery. There’s also the struggle of convincing them that they need to get treatment.
They may reject any intervention you throw at them. We can help you do it the right way. Check out this guide for a list of ways to help your loved one.
1. Learn About Their Condition
It can be baffling to watch your loved one go through the same addiction recovery mistakes time and time again. How can they not see that they’re hurting themselves? The truth is, they might be aware.
Some people know that addiction is bad, but they can’t stop due to painful withdrawal symptoms. You would know this if you educated yourself about their condition. By getting a better understanding, you’ll be able to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to help them.
2. Encourage Them to Get Treatment
You’re tired of watching your loved one hurt themselves. It’s time to house an intervention. You need to convince them that they need drug addiction recovery!
We’ll tell you that they may reject your efforts a couple of times. So, no matter how close you are to losing patience with them, you’ve got to keep at it.
Once they get done with their treatment, they may have to attend group meetings. A good way to show your support and encourage them to keep going is to attend these meetings with them.
3. Don’t Use Substances When They’re Around
If you know someone has just gotten out of alcohol addiction recovery, the worst thing you can do is ask them to meet you at a bar to hang out. Be courteous by not drinking when you’re around them.
This way, you won’t tempt them to slip back into their old habits. Similarly, if you live with a person who’s just gone through recovery, keep the substance out of the house.
4. Learn the Difference Between Encouraging and Enabling
You want to do everything you can for your loved one, but if you’re not careful this can go into enabling territory. For example, your loved one is short on rent and asks you to help them by giving them money.
It’s okay to help them. What’s not okay is putting the cash in their hand. This is enabling because you have no way of knowing that they’re actually using it for rent. Go with them to pay the bill.
Support a Loved One During Recovery
It’s not easy watching someone you love fight with substance abuse. You want to do everything you can to help them through recovery.
If you’re not careful, you may end up doing more harm than good. That’s why it’s important that you do a heavy amount of research follow the steps we’ve provided, and check out our blog for more ways to support the people you love.