Learn How To Help An Addict Today
Always remember that, while your loved one needs help, you need to focus on yourself too. If you dont, their situation will add up to the personal stress you already have. This can make your relationship with them strained.
Its hard for you to help them if you develop resentment towards them. Take care of yourself by getting some good sleep, exercising, and getting support. This will make you more ready to take care of your loved one get the assistance they need.
Lastly, its important to remember that you arent alone. A lot of people struggle to learn how to help an addict recover. Know that support isnt that far off.
Do you need to help a loved one detoxify? Contact us today and well help them get started.
Signs Of A Sugar Addiction
Unlike many other substance use disorders or behavioral compulsions, sugar addiction is often easy to spot. The clearest signs of sugar addiction involve consumption of large amounts of food or drinks laden with sugar. The individual may eat constantly, eat to combat boredom, and become hyper and crash. They may even talk about craving sugar after stressful or irritating life experiences.
If Your Spouse Goes To Treatment Stay Supportive
In a best-case desirable scenario, the intervention works the way it is supposed to and your spouse goes to treatment. While they are receiving that treatment, there are things you can do to support them:
- Take care of yourself and your family give them something to come back to.
- Follow the recommendations of the treatment team.
- Participate in family therapy meetings.
- Most rehab facilities have a short adjustment period where phone calls and communication with the outside world are suspended. Respect that, and give your spouse the time they need to focus on their own recovery.
- Alternatively, when contact is allowed visit, write, and call.
- Stay POSITIVE in all of your conversation and letters.
- Be patient recovery is a process. Your spouse did not become addicted overnight. They wont recover overnight, either.
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Find Support For Your Addiction Recovery
Dont try to go it alonereach out for support. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having positive influences and a solid support system is essential. The more people you can turn to for encouragement, guidance, and a listening ear, the better your chances for recovery.
Lean on close friends and family. Having the support of friends and family members is an invaluable asset in recovery. If youre reluctant to turn to your loved ones because youve let them down before, consider going to relationship counseling or family therapy.
Build a sober social network. If your previous social life revolved around drugs, you may need to make some new connections. Its important to have sober friends who will support your recovery. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending events in your community.
Consider moving into a sober living home. Sober living homes provide a safe, supportive place to live while youre recovering from drug addiction. They are a good option if you dont have a stable home or a drug-free living environment.
Make meetings a priority. Join a 12-step recovery support group, such as Narcotics Anonymous , and attend meetings regularly. Spending time with people who understand exactly what youre going through can be very healing. You can also benefit from the shared experiences of the group members and learn what others have done to stay sober.
Meth Addicts: Help For Meth Addiction
The first and easiest step to make when a meth addict wishes to get treatment for a meth addiction is to go to the doctor. Meth addiction, like all addictions, is a medical and mental health issue and should always be handled by professionals. Meth addiction is serious and the health effects of meth addiction and meth addiction treatment should not be taken lightly.
A doctor can assess a meth addict’s health and whether they require an inpatient or outpatient setting for meth addiction treatment. A doctor can also provide the crystal meth addict with meth addiction resources and meth addiction treatment information.
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Take Care Of Yourself
Although you may see this as selfish, its incredibly important that youre able to be there for others and make the best decisions possible. Make sure your own needs are met by getting enough sleep, exercising and eating well. Dont be afraid to go to therapy to get help if you find yourself struggling due to your loved ones drug addiction.
Find Mental Health Services
Mental health is as important as physical health. It includes your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental illnesses are serious disorders that can affect your thinking, mood, and behavior. Many factors can contribute to these disorders. These factors can include genes, family history, and life experiences.
These government services can help you find someone to talk to, treatment options, and information on a wide range of mental health issues.
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How To Talk To Someone With An Addiction
Start by trying to talk to the person about their addiction. Having a one-on-one conversation may be less intimidating than staging an intervention with several people.
Find a time when you can be alone together and free of distractions or interruptions. Tell them that youre concerned about their behavior and ask if theyre open to hearing your thoughts. Try to use non-blaming language and avoid raising your voice or getting angry. They will likely respond better if you communicate from a place of compassionate concern. It may also help to talk about specific behaviors or incidents related to their addiction that have directly affected you.
If theyre receptive to hearing your thoughts and concerns, ask if they would be willing to seek professional help. They may not be open to discussing this option. They may become defensive. If this happens, let it go for the time being. Dont threaten or shame them. Instead, start talking with other family members and concerned parties to begin planning an intervention.
Im Ready Where Do I Start
When you are ready for treatment its important to start right away.
- Contact CareSource Member Services for assistance with finding a provider and scheduling an appointment. You can reach our Care Advocates through the dedicated addiction treatment phone number at 1-833-674-6437.
- Access on our website to find doctors who treat addiction in your area.
- Talk with your doctor about your addiction.
- Contact your Care Manager with CareSource.
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Accessing Treatment And Recovery Services
- Often conversations with a health care provider, outreach or harm reduction support worker can help someone find the services they need when and where they need them.
- Following a medical assessment, patients can be referred to treatment options depending on a variety of factors, such as age, social connections , health condition, location, substance of addiction and previous treatment history.
- There are a range of services available. Some treatment options are less intensive and accessible while living in the community. Others are more intensive and can be provided in a hospital. The important thing is pursuing holistic treatment that addresses the root causes of addiction. Many services are available at low or no-cost through informal networks, such as group counselling and peer support. Other treatment options include opioid agonist treatment, individual counselling, supportive recovery services and intensive residential treatment.
The Benefit Of Hospital Interventions
Hospitals offer easy-to-reach assistance for people addicted to drugs and alcohol. Many hospitals will allow seriously addicted individuals to be admitted through the emergency room if they are displaying acute symptoms related to their substance abuse. If someone is being admitted from a doctors office, the general admissions department can help a person check in.
A hospital is generally equipped with both inpatient and outpatient facilities. Hospitals are able to handle serious complications due to alcohol or drug use, as well as the withdrawal symptoms a patient may go through. In an emergency situation, a hospital should always be the facility that is attended. If you expect a situation is an emergency, immediately call 911 for assistance.
- Withdrawal seizures.
- Hallucinations.
going to a hospital is one way to start gathering the help that is needed.With hospital intervention, a detoxification schedule can be maintained for alcoholics or those dealing with an addiction problem. When looking at how to help an alcoholic, withdrawal occurs within the first 48 hours, so it is important to seek the proper medical help as soon as possible. Serious withdrawal can sometimes cause side effects that need medical treatment, a slower detoxification method, or other medical advice, so going to a hospital is one way to start gathering the help that is needed.
As always, if it is an emergency, call your emergency services as soon as possible.
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Stay In Touch With Personal Joy
Managing expectations is a little easier when individuals are responsible for their own bliss. That means every member of a recovering family needs to take time to do something thats relaxing and fulfilling. This could include:
- Playing an instrument
- Cooking
- Crafting
These activities and others like them can make the participant feel happy, preserve a sense of efficacy and worth and help boost mental health.
For example, an author for Psychology Today reports that knitters get a boost of calming chemicals in their brain cells when they sit down with needles and yarn. The hobby is repetitive, but these actions can be soothing. Its a form of meditation that allows people to slow down their active brain cells. At the end of a knitting session, people have a product to show for the time theyve spent. When life is full of activities that seem hard to complete and progress is difficult to see, a hobby that produces something tangible can be a great comfort.
Hiding Your Addiction Behind A Successful Career
If you keep up with your job, fulfill your family duties and maintain friendships while also having a drug or alcohol addiction, youre known as a high-functioning addict. These types of addicts maintain a level of success professionally and battle their addiction behind the scenes. Essentially, youre living a double life.
One of the biggest issues high-functioning addicts face is denial. You feel like youre in control because your life remains pretty normal by all appearances. However, your addiction is likely worse than you know.
Eventually, alcohol and drug use will catch up to a high-functioning addict.
Some people can struggle with addiction for years before the facade begins to fall apart. For others, it can take a life-changing event, like getting a DUI or an accidental overdose, to force them to address the issue. Instead of waiting for one of these life-changing events to happen to you, its better to get help as soon as possible.
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Addiction In The Family
The pain of addiction is something that everyone within a family is familiar with. Quite often, people only think about how the addict is impacted. The truth is, the family suffers as well. There are all types of addictions, and each one stands to tear families apart. The cost of addiction has the power to ruin an otherwise beautiful home and marriage. To make matters worse, the effects of it are long lasting for everyone involved.
It is so hard to live under the same roof as someone who is abusing substances. It seems as though problems are caused left and right. The addict is torn, wanting the stable life and the family at the same time. When things go wrong, they blame others for their own actions.
There is no denying the type of pain youre in if this is the life youve been forced to lead. If you have an addicted spouse, you need answers for your dilemma. Whats more, you need real-life advice that you can put to use right now.
Treatment Approaches For Drug And Alcohol Addiction
If you have a severe problem with drugs or alcohol, you might need hospital treatment. You might also need to do a detoxification program to get rid of drugs and alcohol in your body.
Rehabilitation can involve counselling to help you change your behaviour. You might also be prescribed medicine.
If you have a drug or alcohol problem and a mental illness, you will need help with both at the same time.
Rehabilitation might not be successful the first time. Many people need to go through the process more than once. But if it doesnt work first time, you will have learnt something, and it will make it easier next time.
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What To Avoid When Talking To A Loved One About Addiction
When talking to a loved one about getting treatment for their addiction, here are some things to avoid:
- Preaching, lecturing, threatening or moralizing your loved one
- Emotional appeals that may increase the feelings of guilt and the compulsion to use drugs
- Lying or making excuses for their behavior
- Taking over their responsibilities doing this protects them from the consequences of their behavior
- Enabling their behavior by covering up the abuse or giving them money for drugs
- Arguing with your loved one when theyre using drugs during this time, your loved one wont be able to hold a rational conversation and likely wont be open to what you have to say
- Feeling guilty or responsible for their behavior its not your fault
If you feel that your loved one is abusing drugs, the best thing you can do is to encourage them to seek treatment for their addiction. Be loving and supportive, but also know that theyre likely going to make excuses for their behavior. Be firm in what you want, and keep encouraging them to get help. Although this isnt easy to do, its a critical first step in helping them achieve a healthy and happy life in recovery.
Where To Find Support
If your loved one struggles with drugs or alcohol, you may feel completely helpless after they refuse your help. However, there are a few avenues of support at your disposal if an alcoholic refuses treatment:
- Medical support: Suggest a routine check-up with their general practitioner. Let the doctor know ahead of time you suspect a substance use disorder. Your loved one may feel more open to discussing their problems with a medical professional since they are protected by doctor-patient confidentiality. Their physician can educate them about the consequences of their lifestyle and offer a course of action. Sometimes speaking with someone outside their family circle will be the wake-up call they need.
- Professional interventionist: Before jumping into a second intervention, you may want to enlist the help of a professional interventionist. These trained experts can provide the assistance you need to keep the meeting on point with suggestions that may lead your loved one to enter treatment.
- Rehabilitation treatment center: Even if your loved one is not ready to enter rehab, you can still reach out to a treatment center such as Gateway to speak with a compassionate member of our team. We can give you more information about our evidence-based approach so you can feel prepared when the time comes for your loved one to seek treatment.
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Go To Family Therapy Sessions
Spouses, siblings and parents of addicts often absorb many of the consequences of their loved ones substance use. Many people have a hard time talking openly about the behavior thats harming them, so they say nothing. Family members can also become distant if theyre tired of fighting with their loved one. They may blame themselves when the addiction persists or blame the addicted person for their unhappiness.
These silences and blame games can hold a family back from getting help. Family members may not have the tools on their own to assist someone in active recovery and they may not have the energy to help themselves.
Family therapy programs are designed to break down distrust and guilt by giving everyone a chance to feel heard. It can help family members understand themselves and each other, and work through conflict in a healthy way.Families that were once defined by anger and addiction can grow into tight-knit units that are able to support one another through honest communication and healthy boundaries.
Family therapy sessions can take time, and it can be tempting to skip a session particularly for families with a number of conflicting appointments and agendas. However, this work is vital to the mental health of everyone involved, so meetings should be attended whenever possible.
Your Addiction Can Get Worse
Because addiction is measured on a spectrum, its true that a mild diagnosis may not be as bad as a severe one. Its easy to say, I could be worse. Its important to remember that addiction is a progressive disease, meaning it will get worse. If youre only a mild case right now, it will likely become moderate or severe in the future.
Addiction is a chronic disease, much like asthma, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and many others. If you were diagnosed with stage 1 cancer, would you not seek some form of treatment to prevent it from getting worse? You dont have to be at rock bottom to need treatment. Get help before it gets out of hand. If you are at rock bottom or have a severe diagnosis, its never too late to get the help you need.
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Addiction Affects Everyone Not Just The Person Struggling With Substance Misuse Here Are 10 Tips That Can Help Family Members Cope With A Loved Ones Addiction
Jonathan Strum graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha with a… read more
In 2018, about 5.8% percent of American adults were dependent on alcohol or had difficulties relating to alcohol use, and more than 11.7% of Americans aged 12 or older reported using an illicit drug in the prior month.
These statistics represent millions of people struggling with substance misuse and addiction and nearly all of these people have family members and friends rooting for their eventual recovery. Families play a large role in the recovery process, so it is important for spouses, siblings, parents, children, friends and others to understand how to help.
If youre the loved one of someone struggling with addiction, you may have many questions and concerns, such as:
- How to deal with addiction
- How to support your loved one
