Addiction is something that nobody ever wants – or chooses – to deal with. Sadly, however, millions of people every year do need to worry about, deal with, and understand addiction recovery. Unfortunately, addiction can be an extremely serious situation to find oneself or a loved one in, so it needs to be dealt with as swiftly as possible.
Addiction comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes. One person may fall into addiction to prescription medication, for example. What starts as a couple of innocent sleeping pills becomes a major addiction to drugs to help someone sleep, wake up, and so on. These problems can exacerbate and cause far more issues throughout a person’s life.
Addiction in Loved Ones
While addiction can be extremely tough to deal with for yourself, it can be even more challenging when a dear friend or loved one is going through addiction-related issues. It’s extremely hard to know what to do, what to say, or how to help someone, especially when you can see from the outside how dangerous their situation is.
What do you do if a loved one drinks too much? What about if they’re taking drugs and seem to be deteriorating in health? There will be so many thoughts going through your mind, wondering how to help and what you should or shouldn’t do. It’s time to take a look at recovery options, then work out how best to encourage your friend to head down that path.
What is Recovery?
Broadly speaking, the term recovery refers to the process of dealing with addiction and abstinence from addictive substances or behaviours. The professional recovery centre team over at iRecover explains how “recovering from an addiction can be a journey that is unique to each person in recovery”, so there is no right or wrong way to tackle addiction. Every person – including your loved one – will tackle their recovery differently.
Some need treatment at one of these centres, some do not. Some want plenty of input from you; some will not. Sadly, for you, it is not black and white, so you can’t quite predict exactly how your friend or family member will deal with your assistance, or how much involvement they will need from you.
Types of Treatment
The first thing you should do is educate yourself on the various types of recovery treatment available in your area. One of the most common, as mentioned above, is the recovery centre, sometimes referred to as rehab. These centres are often regarded as the best way to start a recovery.
When doing your research for a suitable facility, look for centres with CARF consulting as part of their accreditation. This indicates a high level of expertise and experience to provide you with the best care.
The reason for this is that they encompass many methods of recovery. In a rehab centre, a person will receive specialist medical care performed by trained professionals. They will be able to safely detox and have their side effects managed. But that’s not all. Alongside medical attention, a patient will also be exposed to many other recovery aids. For example, one-to-one therapy can play a big part, as can group sessions.
Group sessions are common during recovery. You will likely have heard of organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous. This is a proven method of group therapy whilst following a program of recovery steps. Alongside this, people are assigned sponsors to help them in their moments of need. This can be extra helpful, as addicts often feel more comfortable opening up to someone who has had the same experiences as them.
What Can You Do?
Obviously, none of this is easy for a person to go through, and convincing them to do so can be hard. But, as a concerned best friend, partner, parent, or family member, you may well feel pressure to do so. Doing so could indeed lead to the recovery and best years of your friend’s life.
The first thing you need to do is continue to educate yourself as you are doing right now. Read about interventions, talk to AA members, and think about how best to approach your loved one. It can be incredibly hard to raise the conversation; however, with proper planning and the right approach, you can make your loved one comfortable when the time comes to discuss their situation.
It may take time, but with care and patience, you will be able to break down their walls and show them that they need help. Show them you care and why they need help. Before you know it, they will be on the path to recovery.
This can be an incredibly challenging moment – and an ongoing process – for everyone involved. Remember to take your time, approach softly, and show them how much you care. From there, you can slowly work out a recovery plan.