How Do You Help A Loved One With Drug Addiction?
If you have a loved one who has some sort of drug addiction (alcohol included), you know how trying it can be. There are many “Dos” and “Dont’s” to follow when trying to maintain a relationship with an addict. Relying on some tried-and-true ideas may be of great help to you and your loved one. Take care of yourself. As the airline-safety spiel goes, “Put on your own oxygen mask before you assist another.” Do not sacrifice your own health and sanity while trying to “help” a drug-addicted person. This will not help either of you. Know that you cannot help this person; only she can help herself. Write down this information and hang it where you can read it several times a day as a reminder. Take it as your mantra. The only person who can help an addict is the addict himself. Do not enable. Enabling is not helping; it’s what assists an addict in maintaining her addiction. Enabling behaviors would include calling in sick for the person, giving him money (when you know he will only spend it
