Helping a family member who has succumbed to drug addiction is a tricky task. It is not easy to decide to help someone with an addiction. Nevertheless, the addict can always overcome the habit at a greater rate with their family members’ support.
The Fundamental Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s: –
- The primary goal is to build trust with the addict. People with addiction often do not like to open to anyone and get extra defensive.
- Stay honest with your loved one.
- Respect their privacy. However, you need to keep a constant eye on them but respect the boundaries.
Don’ts: –
- Avoid threatening the family member at all costs. Addicts have an unstable mental health situation, and threatening them can worsen their condition.
- Do not criticize their circumstances. Every person goes through things differently. Therefore, avoid comparisons and do not taunt them for their mistakes continuously.
- If they are taking up a rehab program, you must understand that you will not see immediate change. Most people relapse even after taking a year’s addiction program. As a result, do not expect rapid change but continuously support them to attain their goals and stay clean.
Expect Difficulties During the Course
It is difficult to help someone with an addiction. It is possible that your loved one may disagree with the solution or the addiction habit. The addicts may also not want to discuss their addiction problem with anyone. They may also avoid professional help from a counselor, doctor, or a rehab program. Mostly, the addiction is the result of a problem they are dealing with. It is a subset of another problem, which gives rise to drug addiction. If one does not want to change their doings, persuading them is unlikely to work. Overcoming addiction is not easy and requires the necessary determination and willpower. Moreover, support from a family member can go a long way for the addict. What you need to do is take small steps that will result in long term changes.
Create Trust and Avoid the Trust Destroyers
Drug addicts usually break the trust of their family members and loved ones to fuel their addiction habit. If you feel the same, maintaining and regaining the level of trust is challenging. One can undermine trust easily. When you try to build trust, it is crucial to remember a few things. Different perspectives give birth to misunderstandings. You might want to help your loved one, but they may mistake it as your move to control them. Such feelings and emotions can cause the person to involve more in addiction. In addition to that, finding the root cause of the problem is vital to establish trust. If they follow the habit due to their stressful situations, then help them out to realize it. If you both are stressed, it creates a negative atmosphere between you both, resulting in higher addictive behavior. Trust is a two-way process. Unwanted behavior will easily break trust. If you think you cannot build trust, it is completely fine. But building trust can obtain you and your loved one leverage.
Below are a few trust destroyers that you need to avoid: –
- Avoid lecturing the addict and do not nag the person regarding their bad habits.
- Stress in such times is a by-product. But that does not mean you exaggerate every situation and continuously yell at your addicted loved one.
- Stress can also push you to engage in addictive behaviors and habits. Even in moderation, it is not correct to lecture someone and do the same thing yourself. If so, they will think of you as a hypocrite, and there will not occur any build of trust.
Opt for Drug Rehab Programs
The final decision to leave the habit is theirs; therefore, seeking professional help is necessary. Drug Rehab in California employs staff who are well-experienced and trained in understanding the psychology of a person. The dual diagnosis treatment centers in Arkansas often use many strategies to make the addict choose the right path. Rehab programs often offer a customizable plan for drug addicts, keeping the family members in the loop of their situation.
Respect their Decision and Give Time to Rethink
Although you may feel the urge to tell your loved one that you are rendering your support to them to change, if the person does not understand your point of view, it can cause more harm than good. They might not understand the consequences of their doings, but they will appreciate the importance of seeking professional help in due time.
Wrapping Things Up
Supporting the family member to overcome their situation takes up a lot of perseverance, effort, and time. By carefully employing the above pointers, one can help their loved one triumph over their drug addiction habit.
