How to Help Someone With An Addiction Problem
Most of us have not thought about what we would say or do to help someone who is addicted to drugs, alcohol or harmful activity. So when you know someone in your circle of friends or in your family who is addicted, you may need help figuring out how to help that person. Here are some tips.
Talk to Them and Really Listen
Usually, there is something lying underneath the surface when it comes to addiction. Whether it's drugs or alcohol, there is likely some reason why they are seeking to escape from their reality. You can get to know why. This means you have to be a good listener.
Invite them over for dinner or perhaps a weekend barbecue, without any pretense that you will be speaking to them about their addiction.
Try to understand what is currently going on in their life, and look for certain turning points. This could be a family member dying, a breakup with his or her partner, etc.
Ask them how they chose to cope with the stress. This will be the leading edge of your further questioning and them hopefully opening up.
Professional Help
Offer some kind of professional help resources to ease their suffering. Check out if your insurance company can cover certain rehab services. For example, Aetna insurance drug rehab coverage allows for specific rehab centers to be assessed and used. They provide a care facility where you can meet new people, have your own room and have specific one-to-one sessions with your therapist. They have both inpatient and residential rehabilitation, so you can choose to come and go, or take up a room, so you're never too far from help.
Give Them Your Number
For many, the opposite of addiction is connection. One way to get them to start asking for help is to give them your number. You can act as their support buddy so when they feel tempted to drink, take drugs or engage in risky behavior, they can call you and describe why they are feeling that way. You can give them advice, such as breathing techniques, tell them to go for a walk, read a book or just leave the home where the substances are and go to the park. If your advice doesn’t work, you can at least log down when they called you and what their reasons were for wanting to abuse substances. Use this information to inform a professional who can help them.
You can help someone who is addicted by being their support friend, listening to their concerns, talking to them face to face, or giving them the details of professional rehabilitation support. Ultimately, the addict needs to want to change, however. You did not cause it and you can’t control it. Al-Anon offers help for those who are in relationship with addicts and alcoholics.