How family and friends can care for their addicted loved ones

If you have a loved one who is struggling with addiction, one of your goals should be to help them.

This does not ignore the fact that family and friends are directly and indirectly affected by their loved ones’ addiction. And there is a tendency for them to give their addicted loved one a distance due to several reasons best known to them.

Family and friends need to care for their addicted loved ones so that they can join hands to nurse them back to sobriety.

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Here are some ways to achieve this:

Learn about addiction

If someone is struggling with a health condition, it would be almost impossible to help them if you don’t know what they are facing.

Learning about addiction helps you understand what they are going through so that you can become more empathetic to their plight.

This also means that you will be more interested in attending group and family sessions that are targeted toward helping them get better.

Show your love and concern

When your loved one is struggling with addiction, you need to continually remind them that you love and care for them. Do not be aggressive when you are relating with them because they might be forced to distance themselves. Rather, use uplifting words that will motivate and make them feel better.

Don’t expect too much from them

If you keep expecting too much from them, you might get disappointed. Understand that addiction is a gradual process that must not be rushed. You need to be patient with them so that you will get the best out of their recovery period.

Organize family and friends hangout

It is important not to leave your addicted loved ones left out when you are planning a family or friend gathering. This will make them feel part of the fold, and they will be encouraged to recover better and faster.

When you leave them out, you are giving them the impression that you don’t want them in your midst again.

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