When a family member or close friend is addicted to a substance, it can be hard to know how, or when to help. Often it’s through the support of family and friends who truly care about the addict that helps them make changes in their life, but the reality is that too much help can produce a reverse effect.   There is a fine line between helping an addict and making it easier for him or her to stay addicted.   Because addiction is a type of illness, often the good intentions of family is not enough to solve the problem. That being said, the family can help in a variety of ways. Sometimes they can be the support network the addict needs to start treatment with a professional. Families can also set and enforce boundaries that make it harder to continue to use the substance.   Problems result when the addict starts using their family to fuel their addiction. Since addiction stops a person from thinking rationally, the person may not even know what they are doing to their family. All they know is that they need their fix. When the situation gets to this point, the addict will, inadvertently or not, start harming their family in one way or another.   If the addict is not accepting positive help, then it is probably time to practice tough love and make them go on alone. If they live with…