Watching someone you love in a battle against addiction is painful. You can’t stand to watch an uphill climb that often ends in sliding right down again. You want to be a support system in any way that you can. You need to remember that enabling your loved one will only aggravate the problem. Your goal should be to find a solution to addiction, not assist the one you love into falling deeper into the struggle against addiction.
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Don’t Finance an Addiction
One of the most common problems for a person struggling with addiction is a shortage of funds. Paying for a habit is costly. The need for the source of addiction will only continue to grow the longer your loved one is trapped.
The money is bound to run out. If your loved one comes to you asking for money, you need to refuse. You’ll be given a long list of excuses, such as bills that need to be paid or there’s no money for gas. You know what will happen with the money. Saying no could push your loved one to seek drug addiction help.
Refuse to be a Part of the Problem
If you enable an addict, you’ll take over the responsibilities of the one you love. Providing transportation, paying the bills, and offering to be a free babysitter can only pave the way to an addiction with no end in sight.
You need to push your loved one to pick up the slack in all areas of his or her life. If the battle of addiction makes it impossible, rock bottom could be the next stop. Reaching a breaking point is hard to watch. However, it could help a drug addict to admit there is a serious problem.
Don’t Excuse Your Loved One’s Behavior
If you help your loved one hide an addiction, you are making excuses. Calling into work, showing up at functions in the place of the one you love, or lying about your loved one’s situation will only make matters worse. You need to be brutally honest.
Stop protecting the one you love by making up stories about the addiction. You need friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues to know the truth. There is strength in numbers in helping your loved one to turn a bad situation into something positive.
Stop Bailing Out a Drug Addict
Your first instinct will be to help your loved one with legal battles. Facing the consequences is the best solution, no matter how difficult it is. Your loved one may be ordered by the court to seek treatment. You need to support anything that will cut off the source of your loved one’s addiction.
Give Your Loved One an Ultimatum
Your expectations for your loved one need to be clear. If your partner is struggling with addiction, insist any type of substance abuse will not be tolerated in your home or around other members of your family. Your loved one will have to indulge in negative habits somewhere else. Stand firm about your resolution.
Encourage Your Loved One to Get Professional Help
Arguing, fighting, and yelling is not going to end an addiction. If anything, aggressive behaviors may only aggravate the situation. Once you’ve stopped enabling your loved one, be ready to catch them after the fall. Be a listening ear.
Give your loved one a shoulder to lean on. Share resources for recovery. Accompany your loved one for consultations at different treatment facilities. Offer your assistance in filling out paperwork and working with the insurance company.
Ask for the proper forms to help your loved one to apply for a family medical leave from work if childcare and upkeep of the home are going to be a concern during residential treatment, band together with others to find solutions.
No one ever wants to become a victim of addiction. Don’t play the blame game with your loved one who is a drug addict. What’s done is done. The most important thing you can do now is to help your loved one to find keys that will open the door to a better tomorrow.