No one wants to see a family member struggle in any aspect of life. However, you may learn about an addiction one of your family members faces, so you should offer your support whenever possible. After all, addiction stands out as a terrible situation since people struggle to control their lives when addiction becomes their primary focus.
As you see a family member struggle with addiction, you may wonder what you can do to show support to that person. Doing so can pose some challenges since you don’t want to push too hard while assisting your loved one. This means you need to figure out which points you can keep in mind, so you can help your loved one overcome addiction without causing any problems.
Understanding the Struggle
You need to start by understanding how much your loved one struggles when it comes to addiction. You may not have an addiction of your own, so you need to understand the problems your loved one may experience while facing one.
- People feel a reliance on addiction, so it may take more time to overcome it.
- Some people may not realize they have an addiction even if they use it constantly.
- Overcoming an addiction takes time and commitment, so your loved one may relapse.
If you haven’t experienced a serious addiction, you may not recognize the struggle your loved one could go through. This means you must take the time needed to understand the circumstances, so you don’t judge your loved one. If you don’t understand the struggle, focus on maintaining your patience with your loved one, so you can effectively provide support.
Encourage Rehab and Recovery
If you notice a loved one struggles with a specific addiction such as drugs or alcohol, you may want your loved one to go to rehab for some assistance. Your loved one may try to handle the process on his or her own, but rehab can provide additional help with the situation. This matters even more for people who need help detoxing, so they don’t have to suffer from serious withdrawal.
Even if your loved one doesn’t recognize the severity of the addiction, you should still encourage him or her to go to rehab. You can discuss the reasons for it while also pointing out the benefits, so your loved one understands its importance. As you talk, you can determine if your loved one can overcome the addiction alone, or if he or she needs rehab.
Become an Accountability Partner
Some people can fall back into their addictions if they don’t have a way to remain accountable, so you should become an accountability partner. An accountability partner refers to the person who holds someone accountable while they overcome addiction. This means you must follow up with your family member to see if he or she ever relapses when it comes to addiction.
For example, you may create a plan with your loved one where you check on him or her at the end of each day. On top of this, your loved one can put you on speed dial, so he or she can call you for help if any temptations appear. It comes down to letting your family member know you want to hold him or her accountable, so you can assist when necessary.
Don’t Get Mad If Relapses Occur
Despite your best efforts, your loved one may relapse at times. This happens since addictions can offer multiple challenges for those trying to break them, so they happen more often than expected. This means you must do your best to avoid getting mad, upset or disappointed in your family member if he or she faces a relapse.
Instead, you should continue to show love and encouragement to your family member throughout it. If he or she feels disappointed, you can offer kind words while also coming up with a plan to avoid relapses in the future. You can even offer your home to your family member, so he or she can stay with you if any temptations or addictions begin to creep up again.
Providing support to your loved ones can help them overcome addictions while knowing how much you love them. This requires you to reassure your loved ones, help them as needed and do your best to not judge them. If you need more help when it comes to addiction recovery, you can call 855-936-4435 for additional information and resources.
