3 Ways to Help a Friend or Family Member with their Drug Problem

In your life, you may find that one of your friends or family members is struggling with a drug addiction. While you may wish that you could completely cure them, that isn’t always a possibility.

Even though you won’t be able to fix the problem entirely, there are a few things you can do to help them throughout their addiction. Let’s take a look at a few ways in which you can be there and support the person you know.

Talk to Them
A really easy thing you can do to help someone struggling with a drug addiction is listen and talk with them. Having them talk to you about their problem can actually help them with her healing process. If the person struggling is avoiding conversation with you about the subject, reach out to them yourself and start the talk. Just make sure that your conversations aren’t coming off as judging or accusing. If you come across that way, the person might try and avoid you all together. Nothing is more toxic to their healing process than feeling shame about the situation. Go into the talk with an open mind and an open heart.

Care About Yourself
Even though your main goal is to care for your friend or family member, you also have to make sure that you too are being taken care of. Drug addictions are hard on everyone surrounding the individual suffering from addiction. Sometimes, you might feel overwhelmed by the stress and sadness that you start to lose yourself. If you ever feel like it’s too much, talk to a family practice doctor or find a counselor who can offer some tips and tricks. A family medicine doctor will be able to put you in the right direction.

Educate Yourself
Drug addictions are complex. They’re messy and have a lot of different aspects. Because of this, it’s extremely important to learn about the disease before you talk to your friend or family member about it. Knowing what might be happening and understanding can help you help them.

In the United States, alcohol is the number one drug problem. While drug addictions are hard to deal with, being there for the person struggling can be a big help in their healing process. Talk with them, learn about the issues, but don’t forget to think about yourself. Reach out to a family practice center if you too are struggling.