6 Ways To Support A Loved One On Their Road To Recovery

Coming to terms with the fact that a loved one you hold close to your heart is battling addiction is undoubtedly hard and heartbreaking. The news may leave you devastated, especially if you never saw it coming. NCDAS reports that more than 11% of Americans aged 12 and over admit to using illicit substances. Furthermore, drug and alcohol abuse is far too common in more than 60% of the US population over 12. Looking at the stats, the chances that you might know someone struggling with addiction are high. So, how do you support a loved one? What is the right thing to do?

What will you do when someone you care about comes clean about their addiction? There are no right or wrong answers in this situation. There will always be challenges to overcome – certain decisions won’t be easy to make, while other decisions may present challenging ultimatums and empty promises. Ultimately, the most important thing is to stand by them during this difficult time and not against them. Your encouragement could be the very factor they need to work on themselves and get their life back on track. Whether you help to get the person suffering on the road to recovery using ibogaine treatment or you contact a doctor and go down the medical route on the path to getting clean, there are plenty of solutions out there; it’s all about finding the best one that works for you.

Whatever the case may be, once you know of their condition, you should take matters into your own hands and support them throughout their recovery process.

Ways to Support A Loved One Who Is Recovering from Addiction

The first thing you can do is become more informed and learn more about their condition. Once you have enough insights into addiction and recovery, you’ll be able to offer more support and help them cope with challenges.

To help you get started, we have put together a few tips on ways to support your loved one through this difficult time – read until the end to find out!

There is no one way to go about this. However, having a plan may help you navigate the difficulties of dealing with a loved one’s addiction and recovery.

Prioritize Your Well-Being

An addiction to drugs or alcohol is a long-term condition. It affects not just the person struggling with addiction but also everyone in their immediate circle who suffers. Most of the time, friends and family members put the demands of their loved ones before their own. Because of this, they often end up neglecting their health and well-being, which can lead to physical and even mental health issues like emotional stress and anxiety. Helping your loved ones through their rehabilitation will be easier if you first take care of your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental needs.

Try To Understand Their Struggle And Don’t Judge

Addicts and alcoholics in recovery often carry a lot of shame towards their past, and these feelings can linger into the present. Judgment will only make them feel worse than they already do. As their loved one, you must accept them for who they are rather than criticizing or condemning them. They’ve most likely come a long way and still struggling to meet their goal. At this point, they need your support more than ever.

It’s essential to remember that they’re only humans like you. Plus, everyone makes mistakes, so move past that and accept them for who they are.

Addiction is an illness. Tolerating continued drug abuse leads to an unhealthy transformation in one’s worldview. Nevertheless, after the addict enters treatment at a luxury detox Florida center (or another local to you), talk to them, and attempt to understand how their drug abuse became a habit so that you can offer your full support.

Encourage Active Communication

Anxiety and despair may be exacerbated by family tension, leading to relapse into drug or alcohol abuse. Try to promote open and honest discourse with your loved ones to help them realize your sincerity and accept your positive encouragement. It’s best to avoid talking about things that aren’t relevant to your relationship and instead focus on things that matter. Plus, actively communicating what they are feeling can also help them cope with their cravings.

Set A Healthy Example For Them

People who suffer from severe drug abuse disorder jeopardize their life-long savings and career goals to satiate their cravings. Legal issues may arise as a result, and It’s dangerous for people’s health. It may also lead to a slew of other undesirable outcomes. Family and friends of the person abusing drugs strive to shield them from the negative repercussions. The unintended consequence of this, however, is to exacerbate the addiction. In the early stages of rehabilitation, many people require emotional and financial help. However, it would help to let them know that you are in this together only for the recovery and won’t help them otherwise.

You may show your support by leading a healthy lifestyle yourself. Your emotional, physical and spiritual health will benefit from this, and it may also help you connect with your loved ones while they’re going through treatment.

Be Prepared For It To Be A Lifelong Process

Addiction is neither a character flaw nor a lack of willpower. As addiction affects the brain’s reward circuit, the impulse control part of the brain gets affected, which leads to the formation of new memories and associations between the person’s addictive behavior and other things in their environment. As a result, things considered of little importance that were previously unnoticed now come to their attention.

Moreover, the relapse rate is substantially high. The first month after leaving a rehab facility is undoubtedly the hardest, as 40 to 60 percent of people relapse; furthermore, the first year of recovery is even more challenging, as 85 percent relapse. So, before you start the recovery process, don’t get discouraged by a relapse. You can cure addiction permanently; recovering from addiction can take a lifetime.

Remain Patient Throughout The Process

Accept that change never occurs overnight – you need to put in time and dedication to see some real difference. Even though a person is in recovery, they may still participate in harmful habits or make bad judgments. Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction is a process that requires time and patience. Relapses and other setbacks are also possible. If this happens, continue to express love, care, and support, and always be patient with yourself and your loved one.

Final Thoughts

While helping your loved one cope with their addiction, it is equally important to give time to yourself and heal. It’s important to remember that your loved one may relapse multiple times before discovering a treatment plan that works for them. Many individuals who formerly struggled with the debilitating effects of alcoholism or other drug addictions are now leading fruitful, productive lives, all thanks to the efforts of friends and well-wishers like you who stood by them through thick and thin. So tell me, do you know of any other ways to support a loved one?