Have a friend in recovery and not sure how to help? Having a friend in recovery can be a tough situation, especially if you’ve not been in this situation before. This type of situation can be a very delicate matter and should be handled with care. Whether this is your friend’s first time or fifth time in recovery, at the end of the day, they need to know you are there for them, love them, and are there to help.
Have a Friend in Recovery?
Having a friend in recovery can be stressful and leave you unsure of how to act around them or what you can do for them. Below are some tips to help you support your friend in recovery:
1. Be yourself– your friend in recovery loves you for you and most likely doesn’t want you to start treating them differently.
2. Encourage healthy habits– encourage healthy habits like getting exercise and sticking to a schedule consistently.
3. Be a good listener– sometimes all your friend needs is someone to listen so they can vent.
4. Learn the warning signs– learning possible warning signs of a relapse can help potentially save their life. If you feel like they are falling back into addictive behavior, this is where you could sit down and talk to them.
5. Be patient with them– This is a hard time for your friend as they are a recovering addict and it can take some time for them to fully recover and return to normal life.
The Phases of Recovery
To be a supportive friend to someone in recovery, it’s a good idea to learn the phases of recovery to better help understand them and what they’re going through. There are five stages of recovery: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.
1. Pre-contemplation- Those in this stage tend to be very defensive and give constant reasons trying to justify their actions. People in this stage are not ready for a treatment program.
2. Contemplation- Those in this stage are aware of the pros of recovery, but are not fully ready to enter a treatment program yet. They know they need to go in the future, but currently still are not ready.
3. Preparation- Those in this stage are ready to start their journey to sobriety. They often try to recover by themselves and can go a few days without taking their drug of choice. With that, it’s also common to see them fall back to the previous stages.
4. Action- This is the stage where this person is determined and ready to get clean. They have taken action to become sober and if they feel they might relapse, they often seek out professional help.
5. Maintenance- This is a very difficult stage for the person as they are trying very hard to maintain their sobriety and are consistent with their new healthy habits. They don’t feel the urge to fall back as often.
American Treatment Network in Dover, DE
American Treatment Network in Dover, DE also offers two other locations in Newark, DE, and Havertown, PA. Our main focus is our clients and getting them the help they need to get back their lives. We specialize in opioid and alcohol treatment, as well as mental health services. We offer immediate access to care so you can call us today to start your journey to recovery!
