Watching someone struggling with an addiction can be heartbreaking. However, here are some things you can do to help ease the anguish for everyone involved.
Look After Yourself First
You can’t pour from an empty cup, but your experience with the addicted person could have left you exhausted or even ill, potentially imperilling your attempts to help them. Set aside time for sufficient sleep and regular exercise.
Educate Yourself About the Addiction
Right now, you might know little about the nature of what the addict is going through. However, as many other people will have gone through the same kind of addiction, you could easily research it.
Have a One-to-One Talk with the Addict
Though you should be honest with them about the adverse effect of their behaviour, you should strive to prevent anger showing through in your words and tone of voice lest the other person becomes defensive.
Arrange for Friends and Relatives of the Addict to Speak to Them
That way, these people will be able to reveal their own concerns to the addict. This could turn out to be the spark that spurs them into action.
Draw a Line
Eager though you may understandably be to rescue the individual, you could too easily enable their addiction in the process, such as by giving them too much financial support. At some point, they need to face consequences of their own actions.
Rein in Your Expectations
It can be difficult for someone to wean themselves off an addiction. For this reason, you should leave them to recover in their own time — especially as periods of recovery can be interrupted by relapses.
Research Treatment Options
You could be pleasantly surprised by how many are available in the local area. We at The Turning Point are based in Auckland, enabling us to easily provide drug rehab for Hamilton residents, for example.
In New Zealand’s Auckland region, we maintain 25 acres of immaculate rural land where we can help clients to heal from substance or alcohol addictions. Call 0800 863 3869 for further details of how we can provide, say, drug rehab for Hamilton residents and others.