How Do I Help?
By: DeAnza Bonzelaar
Watching your loved one live with addiction can be heartbreaking and overwhelming. You want to help them but you don’t want to enable them. Meanwhile, addiction can impact the stability of your home, the health of individuals and the family, and even finances.
Have you found yourself asking: How do I help my loved one who is abusing drugs and/or alcohol?
You can take steps to help your loved one, your family, and yourself.
Steps to Take
- Understand substance use disorder as a disease
- Research and become educated on addiction
- Talk to your loved one about your concerns and offer them your help, support, and love
- Develop support networks among family members and friends
- Recognize recovery as an ongoing process and, when possible, stay involved in your loved one’s life
- Consider conducting an intervention to help make the decision for your loved one to get help. If possible, get a professional or a person to help you with the intervention making sure either one knows about addiction
- Consider a support group and/or counseling for yourself
- Consider family counseling with your loved one once they are in recovery
Actions to Avoid
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Do not argue with your loved one while they are under the influence
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Do not expect your loved one to stop using when you want them to
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Do not try to make your loved one feel guilty
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Do not take on your loved one’s responsibilities
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Do not lie or make excuses for their behavior
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Do not lecture, make threats or bribes with your loved one in an effort to make them stop using
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