It seems 10 lifetimes that America has been dealing with a heroin abuse epidemic. The drug became popular and a problem in the 1960’s and remains a menace today. One would think the country would have perfected ways to treat heroin addicts, but the reality is it hasn’t. So what exactly can you do to help a heroin addict?
What we know is there really is only one viable method of treatment for heroin addiction. Folks often try conventional counseling with a therapist, but it hardly makes a dent. The Internet is full of home remedies and self-help methods of treatment and again, it hardly makes a dent. What these option have in common is they fail to address both the addiction and the causes of the addiction.
That really leaves the addict with one choice, getting treatment from a reputable drug and alcohol treatment facility. For your part, you can be a good friend or loved one. You can look out for them in anticipation of a crisis that almost always comes. When that crisis does come, it will be time for you to tap into the resources at your disposal.
What Resources You Have to Help a Heroin Addict
While it may not be your responsibility, you still have an obligation to look after your loved ones. If someone you care about is addicted to heroin, it’s going to be tough watching them struggle and simply do nothing. Unfortunately, doing nothing equates to enabling, and that’s the last thing you want to do. With that in mind, here’s a few resources you can use to help your loved one get the help they need.
Educate Yourself
Unless you understand the nuances of heroin addiction, you’ll find there’s much for you to learn. The Internet is filled with information about heroin addiction. It might be worthwhile to contact your own physician and ask them to help educate you. Of course, a reputable drug addiction treatment center is going to be willing to sit down with you and offer up information.
Intervention
Armed with some knowledge about heroin addiction, you might want to consider putting on an intervention. This would give you a great opportunity to get other people involved in the process. Remember, the goal of an intervention is to motivate the heroin addict to seek help. Here’s a few dos and don’ts to consider when running an intervention.
- Be prepared and rehearse what is going to be discussed
- Try to keep things positive by having each person mention how much they care
- Don’t make accusations
- Don’t let the subject of the intervention take over the proceedings
- Discuss possible treatment options and offer to be supportive
You can anticipate your loved one being a bit overwhelmed. They might need a little time to let the intervention process sink in. You should give them that time. By not pressing and keeping things positive, there’s an excellent chance they will agree to get help. If not, don’t panic. You can stay diligent and hopefully they will come around.
Help With the Treatment Facility Selection Process
When your loved one is ready to accept they have an illness and get help, it would be an excellent idea for you to be prepared to offer assistance with the rehab selection process. The first thing you can help with is finding out how much of the treatment process you loved one’s healthcare insurance provider is willing to cover. For any shortage, you could help locate other financial resources.
From there, you can help your loved one find the right treatment facility. There has been a dramatic transformation in the addiction treatment industry over the last few years. They place much more emphasis on providing custom treatment programs that fit a patient’s needs and circumstances. With this in mind, you might want to discuss your loved one’s situation with multiple treatment facilities. Eventually, you will find one that has exactly what you and your loved one are needing.
While your loved on is in treatment, you could actually start the process of locating aftercare resources. This might include a sober living home, 12-Step meetings and counseling resources.
We hope the information we have provided above will help you save your loved one. When your loved one is ready to admit defeat and ask for help, we encourage you to pick up the phone and call one of our professional counselors at 844-903-2111.
