How to Help a Loved One Get Over Addiction

Helping a loved one with an addiction can seem an impossible task. It isn’t. You can help.

If someone you love is in the grip of a powerful addiction, it can be difficult for them to see a way out. Sometimes, just the cravings are enough to prevent them from being able to see they need help. This means that even pleading from family members, partners, or other loved ones isn’t always a powerful enough reason for them to stop. They have to want it for themselves, and even that, is sometimes not enough.

This doesn’t mean it’s impossible for people to recover from addiction. Plenty of people do eventually recover on their own and without help. But then, some struggle on for years, trapped in a cycle of abusing alcohol or drugs. It also doesn’t mean it’s impossible for you to help. You just need to be careful about how you approach the problem.

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Helping with withdrawal

One of the hardest things to get through when trying to break an addiction is the physical symptoms of withdrawal. This period can be brutal and can drive an addicted person back to drugs after deciding to stop. Preventing withdrawal is their only priority, and more drugs are the only way to make the pain and sickness go away. Withdrawal from opiates is a particularly challenging experience, with symptoms including deep bone aches, nausea, and diarrhoea. Psychological symptoms such as depression and mood swings are also common.

To prevent this, some addicts can enter a ‘maintenance’ program. These provide addicts with methadone or other substitutes to ease withdrawal and wean them off the drug. These are still drugs, and the person will feel some effects, but they are significantly less harmful than opiates.

A drug maintenance program can alleviate fears around withdrawal that can sometimes prevent addicts from getting help. These programs also offer nutritional support, relaxation techniques, and counselling that can help with the process and make someone start taking steps on the road to recovery.

Recognizing the need for treatment

Some people are reluctant to go to rehab. This can be for any number of reasons – psychological symptoms as a result of drug abuse, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, or even pure fear. To encourage loved ones to go to rehab, you’ll need to convince them that they are worth it and that the only way out of their fear of failure is to go to rehab and recover from their addiction. No one wants to be an addict.

Overcoming failure

If your loved ones have already been through rehab and relapsed, their feelings of shame and worthlessness can worsen. In this scenario, you’ll need to identify any particular factors you feel contributed to their relapse and find a new program that may be a better fit for their needs. You may also need to make changes in their home environment or post-rehab lifestyle.

It’s essential, especially if your relatives have already relapsed, to make sure they have sufficient emotional support and life skills to stay clean once the program is complete. Help them learn how to live a sober life, and their chances of long-term success can be hugely improved. Don’t give up. They, and you will get there.