How To Support Your Loved One In Addiction Recovery?

It’s challenging to love someone who is hooked on drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, in our efforts to help our addicted loved ones, we often wind up enabling them without even recognizing it. But is it even possible to steer them in the proper direction gently?

Of course, it is.

It might be challenging to care for someone who has an addiction, but it is still possible to establish a good connection with them. In fact, there are many easy strategies one can follow if his partner is hooked on drugs and alcohol and seeks refuge in them even at the slightest hint of trouble. 

How To Support Your Loved One In Addiction Recovery?

There will be conflicts in marriage and relationships, but if your partner goes on to have drugs and alcohol every time you fight, staying in such a relationship will not be easy.

We have devised some strategies for you to support your loved one in addiction recovery.

Let’s have a look: 

1: Learn All About Addiction

It’s difficult to help someone who is struggling with addiction if you don’t know what they’re going through. However, you can learn about addiction even if you can’t totally put yourself in their position. Your loved one will be grateful that you took the time to understand more about their difficulties. And when they’re ready to seek assistance, you’ll be prepared to offer sound advice. 

You can read all the blogs and articles there are on addiction. Only then can you offer to accompany them to an AA/NA meeting.

You can also encourage them to seek out a sponsor and, look into a local recovery program, recommend a specific addiction counselor, yet not get so much involved that it will hamper their privacy. 

2: Encourage Them With Your Words

For a number of reasons, people with low self-esteem may get addicted to drugs, and drug addicts frequently acquire poor self-esteem. 

You can’t make someone’s self-esteem better, but you may encourage them with your words and deeds. Demonstrating to your loved ones that you still love, appreciate, and care about them might encourage them to think they are deserving of recovery.

You may compliment them on their personality qualities, accomplishments, and strengths, in particular. Just to converse, call them on a regular basis.

Apart from that, invite them to join you for outdoor activities such as bowling games or restaurant hauls, and continue to include them in your social circle if they are already a part of it.

3: Have Faith

It’s easy to give up on someone who is hooked on drugs or alcohol. However, people that are actively addicted are frequently deceitful, untrustworthy, and nasty. 

Perhaps your loved one has previously sought therapy and has since relapsed. During their rehabilitation, people may relapse once, twice, or a dozen times. It’s easy to get irritated and give up on someone who is actively abusing drugs or alcohol. But,  you maintain your optimism.

Your loved ones may not understand how much they’re hurting you, and they may not care if they’re inebriated. Drugs and alcohol distort and transform individuals, but it’s essential to be able to look through that so you can continue to provide hope and support.

4: Help Them With Basic Needs

Your loved ones may struggle to find their ray of hope if they struggle to find the basic necessities in life such as housing, clothes, food, etc. These things may appear simple, but they are not taken for granted by those who are struggling with addiction. 

Homelessness and starvation are common problems among drug users and alcoholics. They’re always in danger of being trafficked, attacked, or robbed. This may not be appropriate in all circumstances. If you don’t know the individual well, you might be able to connect them with someone who does. However, to keep yourself and them safe, make sure you set and stick to your boundaries in every circumstance.

5: Give Them Space If Needed

This is especially true if you’re trying to help someone who isn’t a family member but is a friend, coworker, or acquaintance. Perhaps you’re aware of their addiction but have no idea how serious it is. 

Despite seeing them on a daily basis and interacting with them frequently, you may still feel that you don’t know them well. This is very normal. For various reasons, people who are actively addicted are generally discreet. 

They may also be concerned that you may get them into trouble, particularly at work. Give someone space if you want to help them in these instances. Don’t put them on the spot with questions, and don’t make any assumptions. 

Ask them how they’re doing and treat them the same way you would any of your other pals. This will gradually increase your mutual trust. In addition, they may eventually tell you about their substance misuse.

6: Take Care Of Yourself

You cannot help other people unless you are fine yourself. This is especially true when it comes to demonstrating support for a loved one who is addicted. 

Concentrate on recognizing and responding to your emotional, bodily, and spiritual needs. You can be that much more present for your loved one when you feel whole and healthy. You also have the chance to provide an example of proper self-care. 

By discussing and demonstrating how you satisfy your needs on a daily basis, you show your loved one that it is doable. This could help them imagine a healthy, happy life for themselves, free of drugs and alcohol.

Help The Ones Who Need It!

You may not realize it yet, but your loved ones need you, especially when they are trapped in addiction. Now that you have found out some ways to cater to their needs, you should not step back from this initiative. Once you spread your arms and welcome your addicted loved ones to share everything with you, getting them back up on their feet will be easy.

Hence, for further questions, let us know in the comment section below. We will come back to you with an answer pretty soon.