You Want to Know How to Help an Addict

We always hear how concerned people are about their loved ones. When loved ones are struggling with substance use disorder or addiction, concern increases. Friends, family, and loved ones want to know how to help an addict. Unfortunately, most individuals know very little about addiction. If you’ve never walked a mile in those shoes, it’s difficult to fathom exactly what’s going on in the addict’s body and mind. There are some things we can all do for family and friends who are caught up in the cycle of addiction.

Addiction is a disease. Whether it’s drugs or alcohol, when an individual becomes addicted, their brain chemistry is altered, making them dependent. Like any disease, to heal and recover properly requires professional support. Beaches Recovery offers a wide range of substance abuse treatment programs. We can also guide friends, family, and loved ones through how best to support an individual struggling with addiction.

How Not to Help an Addict

Any discussion about how to help an addict has to begin with what not to do. The last thing you want to be is an enabler. You gain nothing by turning your head and looking the other way while someone you love is self-destructive. Getting lost in addiction is far easier for the addict when the people around them turn a blind eye. When someone struggles with an illness or disease, it’s immoral to ignore their struggle and not find some way to support them as they look to heal.

Before we start a discussion about how to help an addict, it’s important to understand that addiction is a chronic disease. With any luck, the addict can have the disease arrested and put in remission. However, as a chronic disease, individuals struggling with addiction will have to stay vigilant. Fortunately, our therapeutic services allow individuals to learn healthy coping techniques, identify triggers, and learn how to find the support they need if and when relapse occurs. Relapse is something to be avoided, but it is a natural part of recovery. What matters is getting back on track rather than allowing the disease to take hold again.

How to Help an Addict

The first step in the process of providing help in educating you about addiction. This includes learning how to identify the traits and actions of an addict. Education will help you understand there’s very little you can do for them to fix their disease or their problems. What you can be is informative and supportive.

The likelihood your loved one will get help before they are ready is slim. Most people don’t realize they are caught in the cycle of addiction. Without being intrusive, your task is to help them recognize what’s going on in their life. You can achieve this by subtly pointing out the deficiencies and troubles. From here, you might be able to start pointing them towards getting the help they need. The best thing you can do is support the notion that they need to get help for their addiction.

Reaching Out to Beaches Recovery

Beaches Recovery is a premier, full-service rehab facility located in Jacksonville, Florida. We offer customized treatment plans. We have designed our treatment methodology to allow our counselors to address the specific treatment needs of each patient. Our treatment plans cover the following methodologies:

• Outpatient and intensive outpatient program
• Residential drug rehab
• Partial hospitalization program
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Detox services
• Trauma therapy
• Experiential therapy

For more information about how to help your loved one, we encourage you to call our Beaches Recovery facility at 866.605.0532. Through your support and concern, we encourage you to get your loved one to our door, where we’ll have the opportunity to help them establish a lasting recovery. That’s how to help an alcoholic or addict.