5 Ways to Help Someone with Addiction
Witnessing a loved one battle addiction can be overwhelming and heart-wrenching. Addiction can devastate every aspect of a person's life, leading to health issues, work-related problems, strained relationships, and more.
You might feel powerless, watching them struggle each day, but there are meaningful ways you can help. Now is not the time to stand by and hope things improve on their own. Your intervention could be crucial in their journey to recovery.
Here are five ways you can support someone struggling with addiction and help them find their way back to a healthier life.
1. Learn About Addiction
The last thing you want to do is make the person you care about feel judged or embarrassed. It’s important to show them empathy, and the best way to do that is to educate yourself on addiction.
What does it look like? What does it feel like to the person going through it? Doing your best to understand what that person is dealing with will give you more confidence to come forward and help them, making it easier for them to feel understood. Helpful resources include articles from Cleveland Clinic, Psychology Today, and National Rehab Helpline.
2. Show Love
In addition to showing empathy to the person dealing with addiction, offer your support. Obviously, you can’t support the addiction itself, but you can love that person. Let them know you will help them, no matter what it takes.
Sometimes, knowing they have someone in their corner can be just the motivation they need to start fighting back against the addiction, knowing they don’t have to do it alone.
3. Help Them Find Recovery Options
The good news for someone dealing with addiction is that there are several paths to take when it comes to recovery. A quick search online will likely find rehabilitation centers (inpatient and outpatient), therapists, and support groups nearby. But that can be overwhelming for someone in the depths of addiction.
So, help them get started. Search with them. Call different places and encourage them to talk to those who can help. Work with them to set up appointments. That first step can be a difficult one but helping them take it can start a healthy road to recovery. SAMSHA’s Find Treatment website can be a good starting point,
4. Be a Consistent Source of Support
Addiction doesn’t happen overnight, and neither does recovery. Make sure you stick with that person throughout the recovery process. There will be highs and lows, so preparing yourself for that is important.
But, encouraging them will help them keep moving forward, even when things are difficult. They might even fall back a few steps sometimes, and that’s when it’s really important to be a source of support, so you can steer them the right way again.
If you want to better understand the process they’re going through, consider driving them to therapy sessions or support groups, and ask the professionals involved what you can do to help.
5. Take Care of Yourself
You might be willing to do whatever it takes to help someone you love deal with addiction. But, don’t forget to take care of yourself in the process. You can’t help that person if you’re burnt out or stressed.
Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s necessary for everyone, especially if you devote much of your free time to caring for someone else. So, make self-care practices a part of your daily routine. That includes simple things like prioritizing sleep and staying physically active. To reduce stress, try meditation, yoga, or journaling.
There are also support groups for folks who have family members that are dealing with addiction. American Addiction Foundation has a list of various support groups for family members. Two of the more commonly known groups are Al-anon, which helps family members who are worried about a person’s alcohol use, and Nar-anon, which helps family members of folks who may be struggling with drug or other kinds of addiction.
Seeing someone you care about come through the other side of addiction is an amazing feeling. Don’t wait to help that person. Be a source of support for them, and help them get the treatment they need to take back their life.
Are you interested in meeting with a therapist at Essential Insights Counseling Center? Call us at 781-693-3200 or schedule your free phone consultation online today!