Addiction can affect any family at any time. If you have a family member or loved one who is facing an addiction problem, you may have a difficult time addressing the issue with them. Here are some tips to make the conversation as useful as possible, especially if you are attempting to get them to consider rehabilitation.
1. Don’t Stall
Many people put off uncomfortable conversations. You may find yourself doing the same thing when it’s time to talk about addiction for several different reasons. You may be afraid that you are wrong about the problem, the person will react poorly, or it will cause them to act out and potentially hurt themselves (or you). However, most of the time, the real reason is that we are afraid. Overcome your fear and have an uncomfortable conversation. If you don’t, you may end up regretting more than you’ll ever know.
2. Listen More than Talk
A lot of us get nervous during serious conversations. This nervousness can cause us to ramble and talk a lot. Keep in mind that the primary goal of this conversation is to connect with the person suffering. To do this, you need to stop talking and listen. And keep them talking if you can. Ask them to tell you more and to elaborate. Unless of course, they don’t feel like talking at that moment. If that is the case, back of, and try again later.
3. Be a Good Influence
Of course, none of us are perfect. You may not necessarily be the poster child for sobriety yourself. If you want to help your friend, you cannot tempt them. That means that when you spend time with them, you must make a conscious decision to stay sober around them. This decision includes seemingly innocuous substances such as alcohol or marijuana. Some people can enjoy a substance without going overboard so you might think it’s okay for you to partake. However, having any drug around at all is a bad idea for someone who should get sober. This still applies if your drug of choice is different than theirs.
4. Focus on the Positive
Someone dealing with addiction can be going through a very low, negative point in their life. It can be hard for them to see past the immediate destruction they have cause in their lives onto the good stuff.
Help them see that there are plenty of positive aspects of their situation. They have a disease, but it’s important to remind them that they have a very curable disease. Once they address their disease, they can focus on healing the other aspects of their life. Before they know it, they will be a strong and productive person again.
5. Be Prepared
Be prepared with solutions to the problem. Have information about rehab centers in Scottsdale or your area. Show them different programs for both in-patient and out-patient programs. Be mindful of their financial situation and look for options that are feasible for your loved one. Remember that, at the very least, there are free AA and NA meetings in most cities. Do your best to be supportive by driving them to the meetings and watching their children at this time if you can.
Watching someone ruin their lives with drugs and alcohol can make you feel absolutely helpless. While they do need to have the motivation to take care of their own health, you can help them get started on the right path by having a serious conversation about their addiction. It really could save a life.
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