How To Support A Loved One Through Addiction Treatment

Addiction is a social disorder rooted in many behaviors and factors. Its effects are at once isolating as they’re widespread, as the friends and loved ones of addiction disorder patients can attest to.

Helping a loved one with addiction through the recovery process isn’t easy. Often, getting them to seek help is a victory on its own. But such is the way to good health for us all: small, incremental steps that build on one another until a person can truly flourish.

If you’re struggling with what to do to provide support to your loved one with addiction, here are some invaluable tips:

1. Help Them Find The Right Treatment Or Solutions

The most important step towards their recovery journey is them recognizing that they need help. The second one is getting professional treatment.

Thankfully, modern medicine has allowed for a wide variety of treatment forms that people can access. As someone who is after your loved one’s best interests, you should help them figure out which approach works for them.

Here are the common forms of addiction treatment you can choose from:

Medication

People need to understand that medication is very important in treating addiction. It’s a condition with a biochemical aspect. So, if appropriate, medicinal intervention should be the first recourse.

Most forms of substance abuse can be effectively treated with medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recovery centers and other outpatient facilities typically offer these in conjunction with doctors to guarantee results.

Note that you can only obtain most of these drugs by having a prescription from a licensed physician first. Once your loved one starts a medication regimen, observe them for side effects. For more about medical interventions for people with an addiction disorder, you can check out this link among many other helpful resources: https://apibhs.com/

Virtual Therapy

Thanks to videoconferencing technology, addiction patients can easily receive consultations, examinations, and follow-ups from their physicians anywhere, anytime. This usually benefits milder cases, where immediate, intensive medical care is no longer needed.

Support Groups

Support groups have always been a part of the plethora of solutions for patients recovering from addiction. Addiction has a social dimension that’s often difficult for some to imagine. So, there’s great comfort and freedom that comes when one patient gets to talk to people in similar circumstances.

Support groups provide an environment for open, non-judgmental discussion, as well as constant assurance that one is never alone in their journey to recovery.

2. Educate Yourself

Your initial response and continuing choices in dealing with a loved one’s addiction diagnosis greatly affect their prospects of recovery.

It’s completely valid to feel anger, fear, worry, frustration, and dismay as you walk along with your loved one on their journey. Just know that they’re going through the same emotions, as well. Be patient and charitable at the same time on them and yourself.

You can make the process less burdensome by educating yourself. Get to know what to anticipate and how to prepare as your loved one goes through the recovery process. Find out what you can do to support their efforts and learn what options both you and they have.

And, above all, never hesitate to reach out to experts for guidance.

3. Don’t Forget Self-Care

When caring for someone with an addiction, you might forget to take care of yourself along the way. This can lead to caregiver burnout, which can trap you in feelings of exhaustion, resentment, and frustration as well as damage your physical health. This combination of problems will only make it harder for you to look after your loved one.

As you go along, you should never let your own health go to the back burner. It’s possible to tweak your personal routine to make you better equipped for providing care and aid.

Furthermore, taking care of yourself and meeting your needs is never selfish. You need to balance your time and ensure that you live your own life. As much as possible, provide time for your regular stuff, like chores, sports, hobbies, and so on.

You also have the option to turn to outpatient care. This lets a dedicated team of professionals take up most of the caregiving so you can simply focus on furthering your loved one’s efforts toward recovery.

4. Show Compassion

As much as the discussion on mental health has become more open, there are many sectors where incorrect notions persist. One of these is the idea that behavioral health is something abstract, not ‘real.’ From this line of thinking, it’s not as serious as physical illness.

The opposite is true. Like physical conditions, behavioral health conditions like substance abuse can be treated. Likewise, those who struggle with the latter need the same level of compassion and care as those affected by debilitating physical disorders.

No matter how difficult it may seem, you should still be empathetic to the affected person. This little step can go a long way in giving a person with an addiction problem the push they need to get better.

5. Listen Proactively

The stigma toward addiction is still strong; a lot of patients find it hard to get better due to how badly they get judged and stereotyped, even when people don’t know their side of the story.

As one of their most immediate sources of support, it’s crucial to hear out your loved one with this disorder. There are times when the recovery journey feels daunting and lonely, and they will lean on you to help them with the strength to keep going.

Be open, be vulnerable, and be intentional with how you listen to them. Sometimes, this mere act of listening is all they need to continue with their struggle for better health.

Don’t Rush The Process

Finally, it’s important to accept the fact that recovery takes time. There’s no point in rushing the process. Everyone experiences addiction in their own way and finds their way out of it differently, as well.

How do you make sure you’re not rushing them? Start by being realistic about your expectations. You may not know first-hand what they’re dealing with at the moment. Be forgiving with lapses and disappointments, and always be the first to give encouragement.

Always remember that there are people you can reach out to for aid in keeping your loved one’s journey going.

Recovery Is Always A Possibility

It bears repeating that recovering from addiction isn’t a walk in the park. Fortunately, the steps to getting there are small and easy to reach so long as you are willing to offer help. If your loved one has gotten quite far in their journey, kudos. If not, there’s always more time and opportunities.

Just keep in mind that recovery is always possible and help is always available.