When Your Loved One Has an Addiction

Did your loved one attend an addiction treatment program and then experience a relapse? Did he or she agree to check in, only to check out days later? There are several reasons as to why these things could have occurred: the treatment may have been low quality, the addiction treatment program may not have been the right match for the person you care about, or maybe your loved one wasn’t actually interested in getting sober at that time. Addiction treatment at a drug rehab center will never work for those who aren’t serious about making a fresh start.

Let’s Talk About Motivation

Motivation is a tricky thing. It comes and goes throughout any behavioral change, not just addiction recovery. The best time to talk to your loved one is when they are feeling motivated to actually make a positive life change and leave the drugs or alcohol behind. Motivation can be recognized through wishes or hopes. If your loved one says, “I wish I could get a job,” this is a great time to gently bring up that getting clean is the first step to achieving that wish. If he or she says, “I hope I’ll be able to get my own place one day,” this is another good time to ask if they would be willing to look over your research on addiction recovery programs. If the answer is no, don’t get mad or shame them. Just say something like, “thanks for listening, we can talk about it another time.” Getting mad at someone who already doesn’t want to seek help won’t do any good at all.

Now Let’s Talk About Help

We know that everything you do or have tried to do for your loved one has come from a place of worry and care. We know that you would never do anything to intentionally harm the person you care about; however, when someone is struggling with an addiction, some of the things we do to “help” really end up hurting the individual. When you give money to someone with an addiction or help bail them out, you aren’t letting them suffer the consequences of their decision to not seek help. If you cover for them at work or give them a computer to search for a job, you’re really only hindering them further. A great way to help is to research addiction recovery programs and have the options ready when the individual finally agrees that it’s time to talk about seeking treatment.

Contracts Are Helpful

When your loved one is ready to seek help, present him or her with a written plan of how you plan to help. If money is involved, tell them the money will go to the drug rehab facility where they will receive all kinds of help and resources that do not involve you putting the money directly into his or her hands. After your loved one returns home from treatment, contracts are helpful here too. When it is written that they will have a place to stay and food to eat as long as certain promises are fulfilled such as attending therapy, passing drug tests, and holding a job, everyone is held accountable for their part. Contact Right Path Drug Rehab today with any questions you might have about finding the right addiction treatment program for your loved one.