Living in a home with someone struggling with addiction issues can feel like you’re tiptoeing through a minefield. Substance abuse can encourage behaviors that impact you and your family emotionally, physically and financially.

But the good news is, you don’t have to feel helpless. There are some things you can do to show your loved one the need for treatment.

Talking to Someone About Getting Addiction Treatment

Before you approach the subject of treatment, it’s important to learn as much as you can about the substance(s) being used. Knowing the effects of the drug you’re loved one is struggling with can help prepare you for potential changes in mood or behavior. This knowledge may also give you insight into the best times to begin the conversation, as you’ll want them to be sober for what you have to say.

Be positive. Discuss the issues from a position of love. You can talk about your concerns and the risks facing your loved one and the family as a whole.

Ask questions and actively listen. It can be terrifying and alienating to be caught in the throes of addiction. There are a number of factors, internal and external, that can lead a person down this path. Your loved one might be struggling with issues you don’t even know about.

Staging an Intervention

If you’ve tried all the above without success, you may need to stage an intervention. It’s common for a medical professional, addiction specialist or professional addiction interventionist to help organize this event, but common elements usually include:

• Establishing who is in charge (often a parent or spouse)
• Personal letters detailing how addiction has impacted each participant
• Notes on prohibited behaviors and consequences going forward

Accepting Your Limitations When a Loved One is Addicted

Finally, there are three points you need to keep in mind. You didn’t cause your loved one to become addicted. You cannot cure their addiction. You cannot control their actions. These points are often referred to as the three C’s of addiction.

Ultimately, your loved one will have to make the decision to seek help. A conscious effort on their part will be required to overcome addiction. If they don’t follow through, you need to be prepared to enforce the consequences outlined during intervention.

Footprints Can Help Your Family Heal from Addiction

Footprints Beachside Recovery is committed to helping families heal from the damage caused by addiction. We treat each individual case as a unique set of circumstances and target our program to meet the needs of each client. Through a variety of evidence-based and experiential treatments, your family will learn about addiction, how to recognize relapse’s multiple stages and how to recover from the damage caused by this disease.

If your family needs help healing from addiction, call today.