You might know someone that is battling with addiction but have no idea how to help because you’re afraid of how they’ll react. The addiction problem is likely to be felt with family and friends too. That is why you should make an effort to reach out to the person before the addiction gets out of hand. It is crucial that you’re approaching them from a point of empathy as that is the most effective way to get to them. Here are some tips that will come in handy if you’re looking to help someone battling with addiction.
Educate Yourself
You can’t claim to help someone when you don’t have a clear idea of what they could be suffering from. That is why you should make an effort to educate yourself on the real causes of addiction. You need to research on how addiction impacts families and how you can help the victim. There are tons of free resources on the internet that you can use to your advantage. You can also join a support group so that you have a clear picture of what you’re dealing with.
Get Counseling
Counseling is not only beneficial to the victim but also those who have been affected. Counseling will enable you to manage the situation better, especially if you’re dealing with a serious addiction. There is a chance that the victim could be exhibiting unruly behavior because of the addiction. As a close friend or a family member, you will have no other choice but to cope with the behavior even as you try to get help. Counseling will help in ensuring that you know how to tackle the situation without letting it get out of hand.
Don’t Enable
You could be enabling the addiction without knowing. It could be that you don’t want confrontation with the victim and let him or her have their way. Addicts are known to be manipulative. They know that the family is genuinely concerned about their welfare and wouldn’t want to do something that would send them on the edge. You could be supporting the person’s addiction even without knowing. That is why it is important you’re speaking out if you feel it is necessary to do so. The person needs to be aware that what they’re doing is not right and there are consequences to their actions.
Be Realistic
It is important to have realistic expectations when it comes to the treatment and recovery of the patient. Even if you take them to a good facility like Carolina ChiroCare and Rehab, it should be noted that it will take time, especially if you are dealing with a full-blown addiction. That is why you should be realistic with the expectations of the treatment. You need to hold the person accountable once they’ve accepted a change in behavior. Don’t try to coerce them into changing as that could lead to a relapse. You should also not expect the addict to keep any promise given the nature of the condition. What is important is that you’re supporting them as long as they’ve shown a willingness to change.
Take Good Care of Yourself
You can’t take care of the addict when you don’t have your affairs in order. In some cases, the victim could be looking up to you and you will need to provide emotional support. This will not be possible if you’re not taking good care of yourself. It can be challenging to help someone that responsible for the difficulties that you’ve experienced in life. Since it is a family member, you’ll have no option but to be there for them. It is crucial to remember that you’re not alone. There are friends and other family members that will always be willing to step up when help is needed.
Get Support
It won’t be such a bad idea to get support too if you have a friend or a loved that is addicted. There are support groups for this kind of situations and you’re likely to get someone that could be going through the same challenge. You get to share ideas on how to handle the problems that you could be facing. Such groups will help in learning how to cope.
To conclude, the best way to help someone struggling with addiction is to equip yourself with all the information necessary. Make sure to approach them from a point of empathy because that is the only effective way you can understand their situation. Remember, addiction is a disease like no other which requires treatment.