How to Help an Addict 

Have you noticed the effects of addiction begin to pull down the quality of life of a friend or loved one? Chances are if you’re looking up ways to help them you’ve likely watched as their professional prospects have dwindled, significant others have left them, and known they are struggling to tread water. The fact that you love them enough to look into ways to help is essential. They will need your help to navigate life after rehab and detox successfully. But if you’re completely lost when it comes to how to help an addict, you are not alone. Millions of people around the country have asked this exact question. Learn how to help an addict and what you can do to improve your success in communicating with them. If you are unsure what to do, expert staff members that provide addiction treatment in Portland, Maine are available.  

Don’t Enable 

If they come to you for money, don’t blindly give them money. Instead, offer to help with what they need the money for. Perhaps they are trying to find a new apartment. Don’t just give them the cash for the apartment, as they may end up using the money to fuel their addiction. And don’t let them use their drugs around you or in your home. When you enable them to continue with their addiction around you, it makes matters worse.  

How To Help An Addict With What You Say 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to threaten or to go after an addict with overly harsh words. How you talk to them matters. Yes, you need to be firm, and you need to avoid enabling them, but if you shut them out, you may never be able to get them to trust you again. This means do not threaten or criticize them. You also need to check your mindset. Change does not happen overnight, so do not expect immediate change from your loved one. Instead, you need to focus on creating a strong bond of trust between the two of you, always be honest, and try to respect their privacy. Don’t barge into rooms and throw open doors expecting to catch them. If they can’t trust you, they won’t go to you when they need help.  

Ask For Help 

You don’t need to go about this yourself. It can be difficult seeing the changes to a loved one. It is stressful and, if you’re not careful, it may affect your own life. Due to this, you might want to consider individual therapy for yourself. Therapy can help keep your mental health at ease. It is difficult to help someone else when you’re struggling with the issue yourself.  

Don’t Force 

It is easy to want to force a better life on someone. But this will only result in them resenting you. You need for them to want to be sober. So don’t force them into it, and you should not protect them from consequences. One of the best ways to see the light is to allow a loved one to experience the consequences of their actions. Sometimes when looking at how to help an addict, you need to let them go through the downsides of their addictions. This experience might help open their eyes.  

Being There For Your Loved One 

Many addicts know they need help, but they don’t know the first way to approach someone to ask for help. They might feel ashamed of their addiction or not want to burden others with it. That is why it’s critical to do what you can for someone who is struggling with the addiction. Now that you have some pointers for how to help an addict, you will be able to take the next step in offering this assistance. With addiction treatment in Portland, Maine available, all you need to do is contact the Liberty Bay Recovery Center at 855.607.8758 today. This one phone call changes lives.