How To Help Somebody Who Is Addicted?

It is devastating to realize that a family member or friend is addicted to drugs or alcohol—addiction and substance abuse are usually chronic problems that are usually detected late and resolved to an even lesser extent. We understand that you wish to help them but if you do it the wrong way, it can further trigger serious problems. In this discussion, we are going to suggest a few tips that can help you understand addiction patterns, spotting and addressing them without headed for drastic consequences:

You have to know the Addiction 

Addiction is like a complicated disease that comes with confusing symptoms, some too passive and some immediately noticeable but present severe interpretation challenges. You need to get down to the bottom of the issue—narrow down the list of chemicals or abusive agents the victim is using and by a process of observation and elimination, figure out the real addictive substance. If you feel that doing this yourself is difficult, take the help of family members and friends or community volunteers to create a monitoring or surveillance type setup so that addiction patterns can be traced to the causative agent.

Don’t Get too Judgmental  

Yes, confronting the substance abuser is vital but you don't need to be vindictive. The idea is to make the drug or alcohol addicts realize that the real problem might be rooted in their childhood memories, peer interactions or family environment that can drive an individual towards aversion and addiction. You need to be empathetic to ensure the victim is able to share the real cause for getting addicted.

Don’t Fuel the Addiction

This is perhaps the least understood aspect in helping addiction or substance abuse victims. Rather than motivating or supporting an addict to seek help, you might end up making them more vulnerable and isolated. This usually happens when interventions are not handled by professionals or there is an emphasis on finding magical cures. Try to understand that addiction has a psychological and physical wiring that lies deep. Any attempt to suddenly uproot it might lead to conflicting results.

Why is professional guidance needed?

The reason is simple—even if you are an Educator or someone with academic qualifications in Medicine or Healthcare, you might lack the tact that is essential for dealing with substance abuse and drug addiction victims. We recommend a facility like Quapaw House that combines all the De-Addiction Solutions, from inpatient to outpatient programs, under the same roof. A community level initiative, it is a better way to detoxify yourself or get help for someone whom you love but has developed an addiction.

Summary 

This is a discussion about what is the best way to approach someone who is addicted. This combines a careful approach where you can neither be too dominating or stay passive. Seeking professional help might be the best choice, specially community de-addiction service providers like Quapaw House.