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Living with an addiction can be a traumatic experience that affects more than the person going through it. It also affects their loved ones. You could want to figure out how to help an addict in your family, but it can be difficult to do so.
You can do more than a few things to help them, however. While you’ll need to be compassionate and patient, helping an addict in your family can be more straightforward than you’d expect.
How To Help An Addict In Your Family: 3 Effective Tips
1. Know The Signs Of Addiction
Before you can help an addict in your family, you’ll need to know they’re an addict. In many cases, this can be quite obvious, such as experiencing meth psychosis and being unable to get through a day without a particular substance. It’s not uncommon for addicts to hide their addiction, however.
You’ll need to know some of the less obvious signs, including:
- Loss of control
- Poor physical coordination and difficulty communicating
- Unusual body odors
- Changes in personality and attitude
- Unexplained paranoia
- Sudden mood swings
Once you’ve established that your family member is an addict, it’s time to get moving on helping them.
2. Establish Trust & Communicate
When you’re figuring out how to help an addict in your family, establishing trust is one of the first steps you’ll need to take. Doing so can be difficult, as they may have broken your trust in the past. When you’re doing this, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind:
- Different Perspectives – You and your loved one could have different perspectives. While you see it as trying to help them, they could think you’re trying to control them.
- It Goes Both Ways – You’ll need to trust your loved one when they make efforts to overcome their addiction and they’ll need to trust that you’re trying to help.
Being able to communicate effectively is another significant part of this. When you’re doing so, be empathetic and compassionate while trying to turn negatives into positives. You should make sure they know you want to be part of the solution rather than a problem.
3. Expect Difficulties
Helping a loved one experiencing addiction can be difficult for multiple reasons. One of the more notable is that they mightn’t want help or could be uncooperative. They could also:
- Believe they don’t have a problem
- Not want to change
- Not want to talk about their issues
- Engage in substance abuse to deal with another problem
- Feel embarrassed about their situation
Overcoming an addiction often means overcoming these difficulties. Doing so can be complicated and may take time and effort. That’s why establishing trust and communicating effectively with them is vital to the process. Once you do, you can more effectively help your loved one.
How To Help An Addict In Your Family: Wrapping Up
Figuring out how to help an addict in your family can be difficult. Rehabilitation centers are always recommended, although you’ll need to do more than simply bring your loved one there. Showing support and love is vital throughout this process.
Once you keep that in mind, there shouldn’t be anything stopping you.