An alcohol or drug addiction in a family member is a stressful feeling and you doubtless want to do something to help your family member. You can do that. Read on to learn how.
Get Professional Help
The best thing to do is to get help from an addiction rehabilitation professional. Professionals are trained in reaching out and communicating with addicts in a manner that we cannot, even if we want to. Trained counselors can offer help and encouragement in a manner that makes a positive difference.
Different Intervention Options are Available
Interventions are intended to help improve a medical condition. In context of drug addictions, interventions are necessary because they can initiate the process of recovery for your loved one. Interventions can happen in more than one way, you should choose the most appropriate one for the situation at home.
Get an interventionist to talk to the addict – An experienced interventionist can be of help because the individual can use his experience to make your family member understand that treatment is in the best interests of all involved. He or she will also have the skills to ensure that the conversation does not take an ugly turn.
Involve other family members – As a general rule, it helps to have support at hand when raising the subject of treatment for drug addiction with a person struggling with substance abuse. Ensure that people attending and participating in the intervention can make a positive contribution and have the patient’s best interests at heart.
The right things to say – It pays to go prepared, so that you can use words that strike home. It’s okay to speak from the heart but do so without being hurtful, and also motivate other family members attending to come prepared with what they plan to say. Let the addict realize the seriousness of the issue.
Consequences to consider – The addict should be made to realize that there will be consequences of his actions. For example, if you’re giving him pocket money and it is being used for purchasing drugs, then it has to stop. Basically, when we talk of consequences it means considering the harmful consequences of well-meaning acts.
If the addict refuses – The objective of an intervention is to get the addicted family member to agree to get help for the addiction. But this may or may not happen. If the addict refuses, then you must ensure that the consequences of such refusal are spelled out, for example, the point about pocket money mentioned earlier. The consequences must be enforced. You must periodically take stock of the situation and see if this step is making a positive difference in the addict’s behavior.
Keep your cool
When you decide to help your family member in getting over the drug habit, you have to act patiently. The addict may not act in a rational manner. His conduct and speech may hurt you. He may tell lies, eavesdrop on your conversations, get violent, or hold you responsible for his addiction. You should keep your cool. Do not take such behavior personally. Persist with your efforts.
Inspire the Addict for Treatment
Encourage your loved one to get professional help. This offers the best chances of overcoming the addiction. It is not unheard of for an addict to insist on trying to give up their addiction without professional counseling and then failing to do so because of the physical and psychological difficulties involved. Even if the person meets with some success and manages to distance himself from the drug or alcohol, relapses can easily occur in the absence of professional guidance. Drug dealers are hard to fend off on your own.
Withdrawal symptoms can be painful, physically and psychologically. In certain conditions, they can pose a threat to the addict’s life. Very often, addicts are driven to taking the drug because withdrawal symptoms become unbearably uncomfortable. This is where medical help and professional counseling become invaluable.
Professional addiction recovery support is easier to find than you think. Hired Power has a network of addiction specialists and physicians that can help you and your addicted family member overcome addiction once and for all. Contact us for advice and support by calling 800-910-9299.