How to Deal With a Loved One’s Addiction

Dealing with a loved one who is abusing drugs/alcohol is difficult. Often during treatment the family is brought in for family therapy sessions. At Los Angeles Detox we understand how important family is when recovering from addiction and we try our best to involve our patients’ families as much as possible. We know dealing with someone who is addicted can be tough, so here are some tips to keep in mind if your loved one isn’t ready to get treatment.

Be sure to:

• Encourage user to ask for help
• Pay attention to how user’s addiction affects each family member
• Focus on the good aspects and fix the bad
• Take steps to better yourself
• Get involved with support groups like Al-Anon
• Allow the user to accept their own responsibilities
• Keep in mind you are only in control of yourself
• Practice honesty and openness

Don’t

• Feel guilty for someone else’s actions
• Lecture, argue, shame or bring up past mistakes
• Become a doormat to be stepped on and taken advantage of
• Protect an addict from consequences
• Make threats
• Demand perfection
• Forget that addiction is an illness