Helping a loved one through addiction, then recovery, is no easy feat. It may even feel like a mountain that is too high to climb at times. When looking for rehab, it is important to recognize the signs a person needs help and what will best support their journey. There are inpatient and outpatient programs, which afford different opportunities to heal from addiction. When a person is ready, they should go right away and start the process of recovery that will take many months to settle into this new way of being.

Helping Loved Ones

Everyone who has ever loved someone with addiction has tried to help in some way, shape, or form over the course of that person’s journey. It may have been enabling, it may have been well-intentioned, and maybe even done really well but they just were not able to shift their thinking away from addiction to treatment. When you help a loved one, you get pulled into their journey alongside them. Consider the following tips as you stretch your arms out wide to embrace support of a loved one with addiction:

Change yourself first: even if your loved one fights addiction, you need to know your part in this, too. It means typically getting things out of the house that may trigger them to use or drink and locking up or tossing away medications they may be tempted to use
Set goals: if you don’t have a plan and goals in place, you will fail at any attempts to help the loved one successfully. Set a plan, contact an interventionist, or discover what you need to help give you confidence moving forward
Recognize the signs: there are always signs that something is not right. Whether you acknowledge it or not is another thing. You also have to know the grip addiction has on a person’s life is not going to go away, most likely, by your loving them through it. They will need support from many avenues to fight back and kick addiction to the curb.

Continued enabling behavior will only make things worse for both you and the loved one. It is worthwhile to push the person gently towards seeking help so that you feel you can better support them, even if it is from afar. Sobriety is a huge component of helping someone heal from addiction. There is no easy, or good, way to support someone with addiction. They simply need to admit a problem exists and seek help for themselves. It is important to know that you cannot fight this on your own and need your own support team behind you, as well. Through it all, you can find the help you need in community, through family therapy, and seek solace in knowing you are not alone in the journey.

Oceanfront provides affordable rehab at a beautiful location in Laguna Beach, California. We provide space for you to journey through recovery and seek support from the minute you enter our doors until the time you leave for aftercare. Call us to find out how we can help you navigate addiction recovery: 877-279-1777