Drug and alcohol addiction is a disease that affects both the user and those surrounding them. In many cases, the addict is only able to maintain their addiction due to the support provided by friends and family members. In order to quit enabling the individual and aid their recovery, loved ones can follow the list of tips outlined below:
1 – Plan out an intervention. This will provide you with an opportunity to sit down with the individual in question, while communicating your love, concern, and desire to help. During the intervention, you will also be able to affirm your intentions to stop supporting the addict in ways that enable their destructive behaviors.
2 – Call Above It All Treatment Center for help in getting the individual into treatment. By incorporating a professional third party, you will be working to ensure that the addict takes the situation seriously. Additional benefits of a third party include organization help, support, and education for the intervention participants.
3 – Prepare yourself for a struggle. Though you obviously care deeply about the individual in question, your financial, legal, and emotional support only serves to enable the negativity. Know that the addict will likely put up a fight when they are informed of your plans for withholding support. Stick to your guns, and keep the faith. Good things are just around the corner.
4 – Make certain that the addict takes responsibility for their negative behaviors. By removing your support, you are helping the addict own up to the consequences of these behaviors. Once the individual grasps the magnitude of the situation, they will be more likely to accept the help being offered.
5 – Make a commitment to stop picking up the odds and ends of the addict’s life. Do not bail them out or supply them with financial aid. This disease is no laughing matter, and will not go away quietly. If left untreated, the individual may die. If you are truly intent on helping the addict, the best thing you can do is push for recovery.
6 – Begin attending Al Anon meetings in your area. This organization is in place to help loved ones of addicted individuals understand, cope with, and further the recovery process for both the addict and themselves. By placing an emphasis on your own recovery, you will be better suited to aid your loved one
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If you or someone you know are suffering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol, our Above It All treatment specialists are available to help. Give us a call today and let us help you get on track towards the healthy, happy, and productive life you’ve been missing.