The Keys to Supporting a Family Member Through Addiction Recovery

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It’s one of the hardest things in life to witness when we see a family member going through the stages of addiction; it can feel like an arrow through our hearts. Perhaps we didn’t give them enough support in other ways. Many people believe addiction to be a weakness, but the fact is that we’re all capable of addiction, whether it’s to sugar or illicit substances. But what can we do to support a family member through addiction?

Understand Addiction

Before the process of rehab, it can be beneficial for us to learn what addiction really is. We commonly believe that addiction is some form of greatly lacking willpower or a moral failing when, in fact, it’s chemical and scientific. When we develop more knowledge about the science behind addiction and its risk factors, as well as the recovery process that’s put in place through rehab providers, we can approach the situation without our own prejudices or preconceived notions, but rather adopt more empathy and patience. This can be hard when someone we love has hurt us because of their addictions, but learning to forgive as well can be invaluable.

Communicate With Compassion

It can be very easy for us to play the blame game or lecture, as these approaches are often ineffective and can also damage your relationship. When we try to communicate how we feel to someone, a non-judgmental attitude and empathy by using “I” statements to convey how the addiction is affecting you personally can be an excellent starting point. Ultimately, it is their choice as to whether they want to deal with this, but when we put across how this is affecting us personally and that we understand that addiction is not part of who someone is, we can then put them on the right road to recovery.

Set Boundaries

Addiction can enable codependent behaviors, and therefore we have to establish clear boundaries and consequences of their actions. Substance abuse can cause people to enter into difficult situations, and it’s vital that we don’t enable the addiction by covering up or making excuses. It can be easy to bail loved ones out of these tough situations, and any parent will tell you that the instinct to protect children rides high during tough times, but with something like addiction that is the responsibility of the person experiencing it, it is vital that we keep those boundaries, no matter how hard they are to adhere to.

Practice Self-Care

Supporting a loved one with addiction can be physically and emotionally draining, which is why we need to make time for self-care exercises to maintain our own well-being. We can burn out, but we can also resent the person if they are throwing up barriers and are inadvertently making life difficult. Supporting a loved one through addiction is a tough journey for all people involved. This is why we need to remember that we have to support ourselves through this also.

The topic of addiction is tough to deal with, and when someone so close to us is experiencing it, there are many things that we can do for them and for us.