Loving someone who is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction is hard. Addicts often push loved ones away because they aren’t ready to deal with their problems. They may not want to deal with their addictions. When they do decide to seek help, your addict friends will need your support more than ever. Here are three things to do to help your friend overcome addiction.
Be Patient
The withdrawal period is incredibly difficult. Your friends may prefer to undergo this process without your help because they will likely look and feel their worst. If they don’t want you around for this process, you shouldn’t be offended. One of the best things you can do to offer support, especially if you were the one to convince your friend to get help, is to help him or her find a rehab facility or AA group. If you’re wondering how to help an alcoholic, these two options help them create a foundation for long-term sobriety success. The recovery process is long and difficult so you need to practice patience with your friend and understand that he or she can’t instantly overcome the addiction.
However, it is important to remember that patience and boundaries are two different things. While you should be patient with an addict throughout the recovery process and understand that he or she will make mistakes, you shouldn’t let your friend walk all over you. If your friend tries to steal money from you to relapse and buy drugs or alcohol, you may need to temporarily step away from the friendship. Similarly, if your friend begins attacking you verbally to avoid facing his or her own problems, it may be time for a change. Be patient with your friends who are recovering from addictions but set boundaries in place to protect yourself.
Offer Support
Once your friend graduates from rehab, he or she will struggle to maintain sobriety for his or her entire life. Knowing that you are supportive of your friend’s decision to get sober will help him or her find the strength to resist the temptation to relapse. You can offer support in a wide variety of ways. Be available for open conversations whenever your friend is struggling. Avoid social situations where your friend will be around a lot of alcohol and do whatever you can to relieve stress for him or her. You can also offer a place for your friend to stay after leaving rehab until he or she can find a new home.
Understand Their Struggles
Sobriety is a constant struggle. If you have never battled addiction, you will not fully understand how difficult it is. However, you should still try to be aware of how they are struggling. Be conscious of how you act and try to be as supportive as you can. For example, you can avoid drinking around recovering addicts to help them resist temptation. Be conscious about how you speak about addicts so your friends do not feel self-conscious around you. You may not understand the struggles of addiction completely, but if you can show you are trying, your actions will go a long way in supporting your friends.
Although people who are battling addictions may try to pull away from their loved ones, they need the support of their friends to be successful in attaining sobriety. If you have a friend who is a recovering addict, the best thing you can do is be present and supportive while your friends pursue their recovery journey. Use these three tips to help your friends. If you can master these habits, you can help your friends achieve and maintain long-term sobriety.
