Many people will write about addiction and alcohol recovery centers from the perspective of those who were/are addicted. No man is an island though, and the people who are friends and family of an addicted person are also affected by his or her situation. Whether a sibling, parent or close friend, the pain of the abuser will affect you too, no one enjoys seeing someone they love self-implode.
Level of Risk
Drug dependency is always dangerous, but some drugs are much more dangerous than others (think Heroin, Methamphetamine etc.). You need to gauge the risks to the individual before deciding on the best approach to helping them. This will often start the process of ‘’intervention’’; this is where those that care for the abuser take measures to try to save the life of the abuser. This will often entail a prolonged stay at a psychological medical Centre as well as a drug rehab program.
Out of your hands
You cannot fix someone. The only person who can stop the drug abuser is the addict themselves. You need to realize this before trying to help, if someone does not want to change or is unable to, no amount of help and sacrifice will help. In some cases, and this is painful to hear, you may need to cut your losses so to speak.
When they do want help…
The key thing one can do is just be there for the person you care. Understand that the recovering addict is going to have good and bad days, some days will be filled with cravings or other signs of withdrawal, other days it will feel like having the old person back. Being patient is vital, setting clear boundaries and not getting angry is as important as the time you give to the loved one.
You can’t do it alone
Sometimes the scale of the problem will be too great, in most cases, it is desirable that a group of people who care for the abuse intervene, this enables a shared responsibility as well as helping manage more practical aspects such as allocating time slots to help take care of the abuser through recovery. The more people that help, the better, it shows the addict that they still have a place in the world and people who care for them.
The Long and Winding Road
Most of us know abusers in our life, whether it is known to us or not is a different matter entirely. Communication and trust are key, even in circumstances where the abuser may have hurt us when one decides to help you must commit to it. Circumstance change when the person does not wish to be helped. But for those addicts that wish to change help should be provided by a loving support network. This can be a lifelong commitment. It is up to you as an individual to decide if it is worth the sacrifice. Summit Estate can help all the way through the rehab process. Call 800.701.6997 for more information about our programs and how we can help you.