You may be wondering how you might assist a friend or relative who is struggling with addiction.
To be clear, deciding whether to provide drug addiction treatment or treatment for another sort of addiction is not always easy.
However, with your help, your loved one will have a better chance of overcoming addiction.
Loved ones of addiction victims endure just as much, if not more, than the addict himself.
As a result, those who have a loved one in recovery from addiction should first and foremost seek their support and healing.
Drug rehabilitation centers like Gallus Detox have tools and support for family members and friends alongside the addiction patient.
Click https://www.gallusdetox.com/locations/colorado/denver-detox-center/ to know more about it.
Addiction Statistics
In 2021, 271 million people, or 5.5% of the global population aged 15 to 64, were projected to have used drugs.
While this is similar to the 2020 estimate, a longer-term look shows that the number of drug users is currently 30% greater than it was in 2010.
Even though the increase was partly attributable to a 10% increase in the worldwide population aged 15-64, data now reveals a higher prevalence of opioid use in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, as well as cannabis usage in North America, South America, and Asia.
Daily, over 22 million Americans struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, and another 100 million family members and friends share their suffering.
How To Help Someone With An Addiction Problem?
If your friend or family member is suffering from an addiction problem, your moral duty is to help them.
But, most people don’t know the first thing about assisting an addiction victim.
Check them out here:
1. Check-In And Listen Actively
It is more vital than ever to check in on your loved ones and see how they are feeling and doing, especially in the age of COVID-19, when many people are experiencing feelings of loneliness.
We all want and need to be heard and understood. When your loved one shares anything with you, make sure you're interested and involved.
Demonstrate concern by paraphrasing them to verify that you comprehend what they're saying and that you're paying attention. Even if you disagree with them, express your support for their feelings.
2. Reduce Unnecessary Arguments
Family stress can lead to a relapse of drugs and exacerbate existing mental health concerns like sadness or anxiety.
Contribute to the development of healthy communication and open discourse to assist in the facilitation of constructive assistance.
Try to spend time together that is meaningful and uplifting, and avoid needless or undesired topics of conversation.
3. Encourage Healthy Habits
Show your support by maintaining a healthy lifestyle yourself, whether it's through open communication, adequate sleep hygiene, exercise, eating healthy meals, or abstaining from alcohol, drugs, and nicotine.
This has numerous advantages beyond simply supporting your loved one, as it will enhance your own mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Moreover, it will also serve as a connecting source and healing for you and your recovering loved one.
4. Don’t Judge
Individuals in drug and alcohol rehabilitation have typically faced a great deal of guilt and shame in the past and may still harbor poor self-perception.
They don't need to be judged to make them feel worse. Accept, love, and appreciate them for who they are instead of criticizing them.
They've most likely come a long way. So, before you pass your judgment, try to put yourself in their shoes.
5. Support Them In Recovery
Demonstrate your pride in your loved one's recovery to provide them encouragement and support. A few simple words of support and encouragement can go a long way.
It can help them commit to sobriety and move past the painful withdrawal symptoms.
In addition, encourage them to participate in self-help groups, addiction treatment, counseling, and other recovery-related activities.
6. Have Patience
Recognize that nothing happens overnight. Even if a person is in treatment, they may continue to participate in unhealthy behaviors or make poor decisions.
Recovery entails much more than abstinence from drugs and alcohol consumption, and it will take time for you to recover and grow.
Relapses and other setbacks are also possible. If they do, keep showing love, concern, and support, and remember to be patient with yourself and your loved one.
7. Educate Yourself On Addiction
Know that addiction is neither a moral weakness nor a lack of willpower.
Addiction is a disorder that hijacks the brain's reward system, destroys the impulse-control region of the brain, and establishes neurally entrenched associations and memories with the individual's addicted behavior, resulting in little triggers that may not even enter the conscious mind. Relapse rates are unfortunately high.
Within the first 30 days after leaving an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment program, 40% to 60% of people relapse, and up to 85% relapse within the first year of recovery.
8. Set Healthy Boundaries
Poor boundaries are frequently developed during active addiction and might persist throughout recovery.
Everyone must assess whether they engage in any enabling, codependency, or other unhealthy behaviors.
This is in the best interests of everyone involved, and it can even help you help the person undergoing the recovery.
9. Reduce Environmental Triggers
Avoid storing alcohol or narcotics in your home, and refrain from using them yourself.
If you do consume alcohol, avoid doing so in the presence of a loved one who is in recovery.
Also, keep them hidden from your loved one in recovery if you have prescription medications.
Help them avoid social situations when relapse is a possibility, or accompany them to help keep them accountable.
10. Learn To Let Go
It is critical to identify your source of healing. Self-care groups can help you and will also show your loved one in recovery how to behave during that period.
Traditional support for loved ones can be found in self-help groups, as well as family support groups offered by various inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment centers or addiction specialists, or by seeing a therapist who specializes in addiction and family dynamics.
Conclusion
It might be challenging to have a friend or family member who is addicted, but there are steps you can take to support your loved one while also caring for yourself.
While you can't make your loved ones change, you can encourage them to seek help and support them throughout their therapy.
If you need more details, reach us in the comment section. We will get back to you with an answer in no time.
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