Drug addiction is a serious disease that can affect any family member. And, when one family member suffers from any addiction, the entire family suffers. Essentially, addiction is a desire that sets family members apart. As such, it’s important for family members to help the addicted loved one through the difficult path of quitting the addictive substance.
There are instances when the addicted loved one starts to engage in questionable or covert behaviors as a way of continuing their alcohol or drug abuse. Such behaviors can include stealing, lying, and manipulations. This can annoy family members and leave them not knowing the best way to help them.
Even worse, the addicted person may not be willing to enroll in a family rehab center (AddictionResource provides more details). But, if you have an addicted family member that you want to help, don’t give up on them. That’s because there are things you can do to rescue them. These include the following.
Learn About Addiction
The first and most important thing to do is to learn about addiction. Find out how a person becomes an addict and how addiction controls their life. Also, learn ways via which addiction can be treated.
This knowledge will help the family understand what the addicted loved one is going through. When you learn about addiction, you avoid the blame game. Instead of assuming that addiction is due to willfulness, weakness, or stubbornness of a loved one, a family learns that addiction is due to alteration of brain electrical impulses and chemistry. This enables the family to focus on helping the addicted loved one to recover.
Research indicates that family members can face violence and aggression when supporting the addicted member during recovery. Without knowledge of how addiction works, providing the family support required to stop using drugs can be very challenging.
Show Compassion
After learning about addiction and how it takes control of the addicted person, you should understand what your loved one is going through. However, don’t use your knowledge as the tool for enabling their drug addiction. Instead, show more compassion. Don’t show resentment towards the addicted loved one since you know the stronghold of addiction and its effects on their behavior.
Seek Intervention
Some people think that the addicted family member should decide to get help without their family playing a role. But, this can make a family feel like it doesn’t have a role to play in helping their loved one fight addiction. However, the intervention process is more beneficial for modern families. In fact, there are instances when intervention prompts the addicted member to think about family rehabilitation center therapy immediately.
Perhaps, you might wonder what an intervention entails. Well, intervention can be defined as the process where friends or family members confront the individual that is struggling with addiction in regards to the damage of addiction on them and their loved ones. Intervention is a combination of strategies or programs that are designed to improve the health status of an individual or to induce behavioral changes.
Professional interventionists help individuals start seeing that addiction is having negative effects on their finances, relationships and personal health. Therefore, instead of waiting for the addicted loved one to hit rock bottom, confront them with a professional interventionist.
Seek Family Addiction Treatment
When successful, intervention prompts the addicted family member to enter an addiction treatment facility. Detox follows admission at a rehab center after which an alcohol and drug rehabilitation program starts. Therefore, if an intervention has successful outcomes, conduct some research on the available rehabilitation facilities and choose one that suits your loved one.
While the addicted loved one undergoes treatment for drug addiction, the family should provide a safe and supportive harbor as a family especially for an outpatient program. An outpatient program means that a loved one lives at home while undergoing rehabilitation. An inpatient rehab means a loved one stays at a residential facility while undergoing treatment for addiction.
Provide Support during Recovery
When a loved one enrolls for an outpatient program, avoid their triggers, temptations, or reminders of alcohol and drug abuse. For instance, avoid alcohol or provide alternative housing in case there are other addictions at home. Additionally, provide emotional support to the loved one throughout the recovery process. This ensures that your loved one doesn’t feel lonely.
Even when a loved one enters an inpatient family rehabilitation center, you can play an active role throughout their recovery process. For instance, you can send them encouragement letters, attend family counseling, and avoid judging them. You can also visit them when the facility allows.
Basically, addicted family members can feel embarrassed and humiliated due to their behaviors. When a family plays an active role in the recovery of their loved one, it restores self-confidence that they may have lacked for some time.
Don’t forget that families have the potential to help their addicted loved ones recover from addiction regardless of how bad their condition seems.
About the Author: Jeffrey Buckley is a blogger who investigates human health issues and behaviorist anthropology. He researches substance abuse problems and the ways to overcome addictions.
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