Drug and alcohol abuse does not only affect the individual in question; the effects also extend to their family and friends. There is a breaking of relationships, and everyone involved is hurt in some way because of the loss of trust and increase of anger. When you have a loved one struggling with an addiction, whether it be from alcoholism to trying to overcome heroin addiction. you easily feel helpless about the whole situation, and you begin to blame yourself for the things that are happening.
The good news is that you are not alone in experiencing the pain and anger that comes due to addiction. It is often referred to as a ‘family disease’, because it affects everyone in the individual’s life. It is therefore wise to involve the person’s family and friends in the recovery process, as they can also act as a source of support for the person even after recovery. There are also various ways you can participate in the process to understand prevention of relapses, and seeking social support.
Since addiction recovery is a lifelong journey, you cannot also expect that your friend or loved one will come back from the drug rehab facility being all fine and never struggling again in their lives – this attitude is a recipe for disaster, and can easily result in relapses. Your support is therefore very important to them, and here are some steps you can follow to help.
Understanding that treatment is not a ‘fix all’ for everything
Because addiction is a chronic disease, you cannot fix it all in one session of treatment. Therefore, expecting that your loved one will return from treatment having ‘completely healed’ is a dangerous and unrealistic assumption to make, and could set your loved one up to suffer a relapse.
Regardless of the length of time your loved one has spent in treatment, and whether they have gone through inpatient or outpatient treatment, it still remains that the results of addiction will trouble them even after the treatment period is over.
In rehabilitation, it is also essential to understand that there will be challenges you and your loved one will face because of addiction. These include recovery from debt and other difficulties in your financial status, recurring issues with their health due to drug abuse, them trying to regain steady employment and source of income, and also rebuilding of trust and damaged relationships.
Remain supportive and involved in their lives
When the person completes their rehab treatment program, it is very important to keep in mind that you may have to change your lifestyle, both for the family and friends of the person. This means that you do not take them out for alcoholic or drug outings, and your home remains a drug and alcohol free zone.
This is particularly important when your loved one is in the early stages of their recovery journey. When you intentionally create an environment of sobriety in the home, it will also decrease their chances of slipping back into drug and alcohol abuse.
It is a fact that the first days of recovery are lonely ones, because the person has lost many of their friends, needs to let go of the toxic friendships built on drug and alcohol abuse, and also needs to repair their own relationships with themselves and the people that matter to them. When they are given sufficient support as well as understanding, thanks to close friends and family, their success in sobriety is better guaranteed. They can also check addiction rehabs for treating alcohol addiction.
Make sure to find support for yourself
The fact remains that taking care of an individual in addiction or a loved one that has left addiction is a tiring process. They are therefore not the only ones who need help – you require some help as well.
As you take care of their needs, do not forget about yourself. It is not going to be an easy process, but you need to find an outlet where you can express how you feel, avoid blaming yourself, and allow yourself to heal from the emotional wounds. In addition, you also learn that you are not responsible for the decisions of anyone, except your own – and that includes realizing you have no control over the choices your loved one makes. You also learn that you cannot force them to change, and they alone have the power over that decision.
In fact, this only serves to remind you that there is no shame in asking for help, so make sure you have some healthy activities to fall back on, and a proper and strong support system. For instance, you can try out support group meetings, where you can hear the stories of others who have been through the same thing, join a local gym, go for some one-on-one therapy sessions, journal your feelings, and make some time to take care of yourself.
All of these activities will give you a mental and emotional boost to cope with the stress you have endured so far.
It is important to understand and decrease stress in your own life
According to statistics from the NIH (National Institute of Health), among the major reasons of people getting into alcohol and drug abuse, as well as relapses, is due to stress in their lives. This is the reason why getting to understand stress will let you know your loved one is also struggling with it during their recovery process.
It will also help in knowing specific stress triggers that increase the chances of your loved one slipping back into the world of drug abuse. They include health issues, their relationships with their friends and family, school or work situations, problems in their financial state, and exposure to triggers of their drug, alcohol or signs of Xanax abuse.
When you acknowledge these factors, you can assist them to cope in better ways, such as going for therapy sessions and exercise.
Final thoughts
When dealing with a loved one in the recovery process of drug rehab, it is important to understand them and yourself. The addiction might be affecting them, but their recovery depends on your actions.
