Addiction is often called a family disease, as it doesn’t only affect the health and wellbeing of the addict but also the people closest to them as well.
Family members are often the ones directly affected by a loved one’s addiction and even though the individual continues to hurt them, they will still only want what’s best for them.
In this article, we are going to provide you with advice for family members with an addicted loved one.
Forget the Present, Think about the Past
Your addicted loved one might be hurting you in some way. It could be that they broke a promise to stop using drugs or alcohol or they might have even stole money from you in order to fund their addiction.
Despite all this, it’s important to remember your loved one before they became addicted to drugs or alcohol as the present behaviour is entirely attributed to these narcotic substances, which have the ability to change how we feel, act and think.
Separate Love from Responsibility
Do not let the love you have for the addict cloud the fact they need to take responsibility for their own actions.
It’s important to draw the line and to not give in to any demands the addict might have because if you do, you will only be helping your loved one maintain their addiction.
Seek Addiction Help Immediately
Addiction is a disease that will only get worse and worse the longer it’s left untreated. Don’t sit back and watch how your loved one is busy killing themselves due to their alcohol or drug use, take the initiative and try to make a change!
Your addicted loved one might deny the fact that they have a problem despite seeing the damage it’s causing to themselves and to the people around them. However, this is perfectly normal behaviour.
There’s a misconception that if an addict refuses to get addiction treatment, it simply won’t work. Another one is that until an addict hits ‘rock bottom’, only then will treatment work.
This is totally untrue. The reality is that whether a patient wants to get into rehab or not, forcing them to get into addiction treatment will have no effect on whether it will be successful or not. Also, waiting until the addict hits ‘rock bottom’ is extremely dangerous; in fact, you could wait years for this to happen, which could then be too late.
The best and safest way to treat any addiction is by getting professional medical help inside a rehabilitation centre immediately, where patients will receive 24 hour medical care, counselling and therapy from people experienced in the addiction field.
In rehab, patients will be educated to why and how they became addicted in the first place and will also be shown how to stay clean and sober for the rest of their lives.
For access to a top class rehab centre, we can provide you with immediate admission into the best private addiction treatment centres in South Africa. Call us now and let one of our qualified counsellors provide you with free expert and confidential advice.