A survey about drug abuse in the United States by DrugAbuse.com found that 23.5 million adults require treatment for illicit drug use and alcohol abuse. Drug abuse affects every area of one’s life—from their health to family, finances, relationships, and work. In addition, the victim’s immediate family members bear the brunt of substance abuse, especially when they don’t realize the severity of the problem. It’s easy to make excuses for a loved one when they develop certain behaviors in a bid to normalize the situation or deny its seriousness. However, if your loved one isn’t trying to disguise their struggle with substance abuse, it becomes easier to help them. Here are five ways you can do it.
Find Out as Much as Possible About Addiction
It may feel as if you have some resentment towards family members, especially if they keep abusing drugs or alcohol even after major interventions. That’s why you need to educate yourself about the condition. You get to understand that substance abuse results from brain changes, hence beyond the addict’s control. Schedule II drugs (cocaine, methadone, codeine, and other opiates), for example, tend to be more addictive because they cause extreme changes in the brain. The drugs have chemicals that attach to special proteins in the brain cells that create feelings of pleasure.
Schedule Family Therapy
Family members often become distant when they get tired of helping a loved one struggling with drug abuse. Spouses, parents, siblings, and the larger family are affected by the addict’s behavior directly, making them develop feelings of blame and resentment towards the addict.
Such blame games and silences can prevent the family from providing the help the addict needs. Also, the addict feels isolated, making it challenging for them to open up about the challenges they’re facing.
If you find yourself in such a situation, it may be time to go for family therapy. The sessions are designed to help each family member express their feelings openly, eliminating any distrust or guilt that may have stifled their relationship.
By the end of the sessions, the family members can reconnect, foster healthy communication, and find ways to help the addict recover from substance abuse.
Plan for an Intervention
Sometimes substance abuse is so severe that the addict needs intervention. It could be that they got ‘high’ while driving and caused an accident. Remember, drugs other than alcohol are accountable for 18% of motor vehicle deaths.
Oftentimes, interventions are a last resort when trying to help a drug addict when other approaches prove futile. If this is the only way you can help your loved one, there are a few things you must keep in mind.
Prepare your facts. The addict may still be in denial and needs somebody else to pinpoint their behavior or mannerisms for them to come to the realization that they are abusing drugs or alcohol. As such, you must ensure you have specific incidences you can point out to illustrate the problem
Find fun activities to keep them busy: Sometimes an intervention means looking for fun activities to keep the addict busy so they don’t focus on feeding their urges. Find out if they love cooking, taking walks, going to book clubs, and support them in the activity
Be empathetic and firm. An intervention isn’t a time to go on a rant but express compassion and willingness to help your loved one recover from the problem
Provide options. You don’t want to restrict your loved one to a specific recovery plan. Present them with options. You can identify treatment centers that can help them recover from addiction if they accept treatment
Finding ways to help a family member struggling with substance abuse is critical to improving their health, finances, and family relations. The three ways discussed go a long way in helping an addict stop abusing drugs or alcohol.
