Dealing with a Drug Addict: 5 Successful Ways to Help a Loved One
When you love someone who’s an addict, questions about how to save them often arise. There’s no easy solution when making the decision to help a struggling friend or relative.
But there are ways to deal with drug addiction, especially when it affects a loved one.
From heroin to Methamphetamine, more than 7,400,000 people suffer at the mercy of drug abuse. And that’s as young as 11 years old. Drug dependency doesn’t discriminate. It eats away at the lives of anyone who will succumb to it.
If you’re dealing with a drug addict and it’s someone you love, it will get tough. Find a solution with these 5 ways to help your loved one deal with and overcome addiction.
1. Help Them Trust You
Drug addicts find it hard to trust people. And so do the people whose trust they’ve betrayed.
Even if the person you need to help has deceived you, you have to establish trust between you. You must find a way to get them to consider treatment. And the only way to do that is for the both of you to cast away suspicion.
Avoid nagging the person, and stay away from critical conversations. An addicted adult doesn’t need lecturing. They need help.
This doesn’t mean you have to put up with their bad behavior. But it opens the door for dialogue to get them to see they need treatment.
2. Get Help for Yourself First Before Dealing with a Drug Addict
People who love addicts the most bear the brunt of their addictive behavior. These are stressful and confusing times.
And if you struggle with this type of stress too long, it affects psychological well-being. Admit that you’re overtaxed in the situation and get help. Sit down with a professional and discuss ways to manage the pressure of helping an addict.
Getting help doesn’t disqualify you from helping the one you love. But it will make the process less straining.
3. Open the Door to Dialogue
Communication remains underrated, although it is the most valuable asset in relationships. Don’t forego trying to communicate with your loved about their weakness for drugs.
Addiction is a beast. And sometimes you want to give it a verbal lashing. But that beast has a temporary home inside your loved one.
Don’t lash out in hurt or anger. It’s not them. It’s what they’re addicted to.
Try to communicate in a way that doesn’t belittle the person. Avoid browbeating. Addicts respond better when they feel less threatened.
4. Find Professional Drug Rehab and Treatment Services
Drug abuse can throw someone into a tailspin of despair. Even when they admit they need help, they don’t know how to get help.
Help them with the process by proactively seeking out safe treatment centers. Visit the centers and talk with the professionals who run them. Compile a list of places that fit the situation with your loved one.
Offer up the list when they’re in a position to hear from you.
5. Motivate Them to Seek Help
Tough love works. But depending on the addict, it can come off as badgering and push the person away.
Remember who your loved one was before drugs, and inspire them from those memories. Recall precious moments with them. Remind the one you love they are still that amazing person.
Present treatment as a solution, not punishment. Encourage them with reassurance. Once you’ve established trust with an addict, it’s easier to persuade them to get the help they need.
Overcome Together
Dealing with a drug addict is no easy task. When a friend or loved one has succumbed to alcohol or drug addiction, it’s heartbreaking.
Don’t give up. Get help for yourself first. Then through love and trust, convince your loved one that help is what they need.
Read more of our lifestyle articles for more insight into living your best life.
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