How to Support Someone in Addiction Recovery

Around twenty-two million Americans struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol on a daily basis, which has an impact on around one hundred million loved ones. Often, relatives and close friends of somebody who is struggling with a substance addiction will suffer just as much as the addicted person themselves. If you have a loved one who is in recovery from addiction, then the first thing to do is make sure that you have support for yourself. There are lots of resources that you can use to not only help yourself cope with dealing with a relative or friend who is in addiction recovery, but also be there to support and help them.

Check In on Them

Checking in on your loved one regularly is a simple action that will be very effective. It is important to make sure that your loved one knows that you care about them and are interested in their wellbeing. This is especially true in the age of COVID-19 where more people are feeling lonely. Everybody needs to be heard and listened to, and sometimes, the best thing that you can do to help your loved one through addiction recovery is to simply be there to talk to them when they need a friend, without being judgmental or trying to change anything for them. Just validate their feelings and encourage them to share how they feel with you, even if you do not always agree with them.

Encourage Healthy Habits

There are lots of healthy habits that you can encourage your loved one to develop to help them with their addition recovery. Lots of things like eating a healthier diet, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep at night will have physical and emotional benefits that will make it easier for your loved one to successfully recover from the addiction. You can do this together with them and benefit from it yourself, too, such as going to the gym together or cooking healthy meals together. Along with eating healthier foods, you may also want to suggest dietary supplements that they can take to help with their recovery such as Kratom. Kratom is often used to help with opioid addiction as it binds to opioid receptors but is much easier to stop taking. Find out more at KratomIQ.

Offer Encouragement

One of the simplest yet most effective things that you can do to help your loved one in their recovery is to show them encouragement and let them know that you are proud of how far they have come. Even if they have some way to go, it’s always nice to know that the hard work they have put in so far has been noticed and that you appreciate what they are doing to benefit themselves and their health. Encourage them to take part in anything that they might find useful for their recovery such as therapy, addition recovery treatment and support groups.

Get Educated

Often people can mean well, but don’t have the desired effect due to a lack of education about addiction and recovery. Educating yourself about addiction and recovery will help you get a better understanding of your loved one and put yourself in a better position to help them. Many people believe that addiction is a moral failing or due to a lack of willpower; however, this isn’t true – it is a disease that affects the reward system in the brain and the part of the brain that is responsible for impulse control, which is why it can be so difficult to recover from. Once you have a better understanding of how this illness impacts your lived one, you will be able to help them more effectively.

Be Patient

No matter how much your loved one might want to kick their addiction, it’s important to be patient and understand that nobody is going to be able to change overnight. Relapse rates are high due to the impact of addiction on the brain, and although somebody is in recovery, this doesn’t mean that they are not going to make any poor decisions or take part in unhealthy behaviors. It is going to take some time for your loved one to heal, and the best thing that you can do is be patient and be there for them as they help themselves.

Reduce Triggers

It is important to understand what might trigger your loved one’s addiction and try to reduce these in the environment. For example, you may want to avoid keeping drugs or alcohol in the home that you share with a loved one or avoid drinking alcohol around them if you go out. If you are on any prescription medications, keep these out of sight of your loved ones. You may want to help them avoid social situations where there are going to be triggers present or go with them to support them.

Be Non-Judgmental

Often, people who are in recovery from an addiction will have already dealt with a lot of guilt and shame, which can lead to negative self-talk and self-feelings. The last thing that somebody who is trying to recover from a substance addiction need is to feel that they are being judged for it by a loved one or friend. The best thing that you can do is keep your personal feelings about addiction to one side and try to accept and love them for who they are, flaws and all.

Set Healthy Boundaries

Poor boundaries can often be formed during active addiction, and these may continue as an individual recovers. It can sometimes be difficult to set healthy boundaries with somebody you love who is dealing with an addiction as you do not want to see them suffering. However, reducing co-dependent or enabling behaviors is key to creating a healthy recovery environment, and will benefit everybody, even if you feel guilty at first. If you are struggling, a good therapist can help you learn how to set healthy boundaries with your loved one.

It can sometimes feel like a helpless situation when a loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol. By being there for them, accepting that it is an illness that may take them some time to recover from, and helping them develop healthy habits while reducing triggers, you can support them effectively throughout their recovery.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes