By George Hyland
When someone has an addiction, especially your loved one, this is when they need you the most, but at the same time, this is when they’ll cut you off, too. When addiction takes over, they’re not who they once were. Addiction strains relationships, but at the same time, this strain and lack of support is what makes them dive deeper into their addiction.
Now, it’s not on you to get rid of their addiction; it’s on them to do this. But they still need that encouragement, that push, and that reminder that people sincerely care about them. So, with that all said, how can you support them? How can you maintain this relationship even though it’s probably incredibly rocky? Well, here’s exactly why you need to know!
Start off by educating yourself
It's best to just go ahead and educate yourself about the nature of their struggle. Understanding the physiological and psychological aspects of addiction can help you empathize with what your loved one is experiencing. So, why does this matter? Well, addiction isn’t as black and white as the media makes it out to be; it’s complex, and it’s literally a physical and mental challenge that just consumes you.
So, you can count on having this knowledge to equip you to provide informed support rather than reacting out of frustration or confusion. But overall, just learning about addiction also helps you to distinguish between the person and their disease, allowing you to offer unconditional love while acknowledging the need for change.
You have to encourage professional help
You’re going to want to show your willingness to help them out, and yes, there might be a chance that they’re going to reject this. You can offer to help them find a therapist, attend support groups, or explore rehabilitation programs like the ones at Alpha Recovery Center. Often times, they think they can get over this by themselves or it’s going to cost too much time or money.
But there are so many ways to counteract (such as health insurance covering rehab and government funding too). But it’s also going to really help to just show your willingness to be involved in their journey by accompanying them to appointments or researching treatment options together. It’s really going to be encouraging to have you by their side.
You’ll need a lot of patience
Now, you really have to keep in mind that recovery from addiction is a long and often non-linear process. There will be plenty of ups and downs, moments of progress and setbacks. So, this is exactly why you’re going to have to start practicing patience and compassion during this journey. Now this is absolutely essential! Ideally, you should celebrate small victories and offer encouragement during difficult times.
You still need to take care of yourself
Honestly, supporting someone with an addiction can be emotionally taxing, way too taxing. So, it's important to take care of your own mental and physical health. You still need to think about you! So, just go ahead and engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation; you may even want to seek support from friends, family, or a therapist and allow yourself to express your emotions. It’s far from selfish, and you still need to think about yourself too. So, just remember that maintaining your well-being enables you to be a stronger support system for your loved one.
