If a person does not accept rehab as an option when offered during an intervention, the next step is for each person involved to help define the consequences of not addressing their disorder. Interventions can be helpful by surrounding someone with their family, but a private conversation may be the better way to start. Often, simply entering into a conversation with support for those who struggling with alcohol addiction the person in a place where they feel safe and sober is the right way forward. One of the most common things a loved one can do is stage an intervention, but there are also several things a person should not do without the input of a medical professional.
Understanding Addiction
Combined with treatment led by health care providers, mutual-support groups can offer a valuable added layer of support. Comorbidity is the occurrence of two or more disorders or illnesses in the same person. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the likelihood of a mental illness diagnosis doubles for individuals suffering from a substance use disorder. Your partner may be more willing to talk about their depression or anxiety with you or a professional than talk directly about their substance use. This can be a way for them to get some kind of help that can ultimately lead to positive changes in their alcohol/drug use. Help your loved one plan how they’re going to avoid triggers to drink, deal with alcohol cravings, and cope in social situations where there’s pressure to drink.
Educate Yourself About Addiction
In teens, for example, drug abuse can often resemble normal adolescent moodiness. Furthermore, there’s no specific amount or frequency of use that indicates someone’s drug use has become a cause for concern. Whether your loved one is using every day or every month, it’s the adverse impact their drug abuse has on their life that https://ecosoberhouse.com/ indicates a problem. Contact your primary care provider, health insurance plan, local health department, or employee assistance program for information about specialty treatment.
Overcoming Alcohol Addiction
This doesn’t mean you stop caring or that you cut off contact. In fact, detaching can sometimes be the best way to preserve the relationship. It’s understandable to want to do everything you can to help someone you love. Shift from putting the blame all on them to taking responsibility for your part in the relationship.
Tips to Help Family Members of Addicts Cope
Early treatment and intervention can help people with alcohol use disorder. While it’s up to the person to willingly start their sobriety journey, you can also help. Read on for some steps you can take to help your friend, family member, or loved one. Educate yourself about addiction, offer emotional support, and encourage them to seek professional treatment. Be patient and avoid enabling behaviors while maintaining a supportive environment. Encouraging a loved one to seek professional help can be challenging, but it’s an important step.
- If a person does begin to experience cravings, or if they have a relapse, they don’t have to start all over—their treatment professionals will help them get back on track.
- Often a person has been contemplating abstinence for some time, yet couldn’t get sober on their own.
- Ultimately, all you can control is how well you look after your own health and welfare.
- Couples and family counseling incorporates spouses and other family members in the treatment process and can play an important role in repairing and improving family relationships.
How Can You Tell If Someone Has an Alcohol Use Disorder?
For example, research has shown that knitting can be beneficial for psychological well-being, as people who knit experience feelings of calmness and happiness. A hobby such as knitting can serve as an effective form of stress relief for those coping with a loved one’s addiction. 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.
As well as reducing their sense of isolation, your loved one can receive advice on staying sober and unburden themselves to others who understand their struggles firsthand. Studies suggest that the social connection provided by these groups can help your loved one build confidence in their own ability to avoid alcohol in social situations and support their sobriety. Zinnia Health is proud to offer leading innovations in drug addiction treatment, backed by a team of caring healthcare professionals. Zinnia Health has helped hundreds of people turn their lives around with our research-based programs personalized to individual well-being. This is something individuals in addiction treatment may struggle with, especially if they once used drugs or alcohol as a means of numbing themselves from the outside world. Some unhealthy coping skills might involve sleeping too much, over or undereating, or compulsive habits like shopping or gambling.
Please donate today to help us save, support, and change lives. Don’t expect your loved one to overcome a drinking problem alone. Even if they don’t require medical supervision to withdraw safely, they’ll still need support, guidance, and new coping skills to quit or cut back on their drinking. When alcoholism affects a spouse or partner, it’s possible to become too wrapped up in their well-being. You may get to the point where you feel compelled to help your person get well. However, family members and friends often have deep emotional ties that prevent them from having the objective viewpoint necessary for treatment.