Have an Addicted Loved One? Here’s How to Seek Help [For You]

Why Get Help if it’s Not Your Addiction?

Too often, families fail to see how the recovery journey of their loved one relates to them. If someone close to you is abusing drugs or alcohol, it is hard to remember to take care of yourself in these times.

Self-care in this intense situation is vital because you can experience many health and mental health effects. 

So let’s talk about the health issues that can arise for the loved ones of a person struggling with addiction:

For starters, personal health can take a turn quickly. The top reason for this is stress. Stress stemming from a loved one’s addiction can lead to serious health problems.

A person can experience high blood pressure, heart attacks, panic attacks, and even stroke from too much stress.

The more stress the body is under, the more likely a person will have a compromised immune system leading to sickness they can’t kick.

A human body can only take so much cortisol running through its system. Once too much is apparent, mental health issues can arise.

Anxiety and depression are in the top spots for popping up in the lives of families dealing with addiction. Along with these monstrous diseases comes sleep problems, digestive issues, and uncontrollable emotions.

The bottom line is that helping yourself can truly help your loved one. Having a clear mind can give a person insight into the situation, leading to better decisions.

Taking care to nourish the body will produce the strength to face daily. Having family members and friends show support in the recovery process is crucial for those struggling with addiction. It could mean a higher percentage rate of completion and successful sober living.

Here’s How to Get Help

Understanding the need to care for oneself is the first step in totting help. Sometimes this understanding comes like a light bulb moment when your loved one realizes their need for help or a personal realization of just how bad the situation has become clear.

Like how your addicted loved one may need to hit rock bottom before realizing they have a problem, family members must do the same. No one wants to believe someone they love has lost control of their drug and alcohol use.

To take the steps needed for help, loved ones can utilize many available tools:

1. Support Groups – Loved ones coming together to share their personal stories, words of encouragement, and tears are fundamental pieces in recovery for families. These groups include mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, and friends. Each member is there for the sole purpose of lifting each other and helping addicts become sober. An example of this is the Nar-Anon family and friends group. These groups are open to all who are or have experienced loving someone with an addiction.
2. Schools – This may not be a place one has thought of, but for children and teens with a loved one with addiction, this could be a place of refuge. Guidance counselors could be a source of encouragement for teens and children and a guiding light to the right resources. Society cannot dismiss the need for children and teens to receive treatment. They are still developing emotional sensors and controls. With guidance and support, they will be more apt to talk about their feelings and process their situation better.
3. Rehabilitation Centers – Once a loved one has begun receiving treatment from a rehabilitation center, family members can also receive treatment there. Rehab centers know how important it is to treat the whole family and the person.

These groups can help you understand what’s in store for the recovery process, how to deal with a relapse, and how to deal with the situation in a healthy manner.

Support groups will help you better communicate with your loved ones once they are in the recovery process.

Rehabilitation centers also offer family members the experience of being involved. Participation in the intake process, as well as family and friend support groups, is encouraged.

They also offer family counseling programs. These programs can help rebuild broken bridges and create a healthy line of communication for everyone involved.