Drug addiction is a chronic disease that affects the lives of many people. Not only does it affect those who are themselves addicted, but it also affects the lives of their family and friends. If you have a loved one who is struggling with addiction, know that their best chance for recovery is through professional substance abuse treatment.
Many times, however, those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol may not even recognize they have a problem, which leaves it up to their family and friends to encourage them to get help. If your loved one is struggling with addiction, here’s how you can convince them to seek treatment:
1. Let Them Know You’ll Be There Every Step of the Way
There is an old saying in treatment that goes along the lines of “you alone can do it, but you can’t do it alone.” In many ways, this statement rings true for those who are struggling with addiction. Their path to recovery should stem from their own drive to stay clean and sober, however, the fight to resist relapse triggers is only possible with a network of support.
Assure your loved one that you will be there for them as they go through the recovery process. In addition to medication assistance to help them overcome the addiction, during treatment your loved one will also receive cognitive behavioral therapy to find ways to strengthen coping skills. Let them know you’ll be there too, lending emotional support. Knowing this might give them the courage to get started.
2. Help Them Find Treatment
Not knowing where to get treatment, or that there are different treatment options available, can be standing in the way of your loved one getting the help they need. There are various options to choose from, and finding the right one depends on the severity of their substance use. Less severe cases of addiction can go through outpatient rehab, provided there is enough trust that your loved one will not continue using. However, for those who are more seriously addicted or continue to relapse, medical detox, partial hospitalization, or inpatient treatment should be considered.
Helping your loved one find the right treatment should start with open and honest discussion about the frequency and amount of their use, and must be accompanied by professional evaluation. The intake staff at our substance abuse clinic will evaluate your loved one to make sure they will receive the appropriate level of care.
3. Stop Enabling, but Start Supporting
This one might be more difficult for those whose loved ones have been struggling with addiction for a long time, or for those who are living with the person who is addicted. Friends or family members must examine if any of their own behaviors could be preventing their loved one from getting help—as enabling behaviors do just that.
Enabling behaviors come in the form of covering up for that person’s mistakes or relapses. You might be covering for your loved one when they get caught engaging in addicted behavior, but this only makes it easier for them to keep using. Your part in convincing your loved one to seek treatment might be as simple as no longer helping them hide their addiction, shedding light on the extent of their problem.
Supporting behaviors, on the other hand, can help someone you care about to make a successful recovery. Supporting behaviors can take the form of driving them to and from meetings, or to outpatient rehab treatment, or attending their therapy sessions with them.
Substance Abuse Clinic in Havertown, PA
Taking steps to help a loved one get started with treatment for addiction can be difficult, but recovery can begin for them from the moment you pick up the phone. At American Treatment Network, we offer various services including alcohol treatment, opioid treatment, and mental health treatment services. Our specialists will match your loved one with the right level of care, and, combined with support from friends and family, lasting recovery can begin. Help your loved one discover a way to live life clean and sober with our tailor-made programs. Contact us today to get help.
