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Addiction Help: A How-To Guide for Drug Intervention

How to Provide Addiction Help

Addiction struggles can be widespread, wreaking havoc on the lives of friends and families of an addict. The issues faced by the person suffering usually touch all around them as well, which is why seeking addiction help is so important.

However, many people don’t know how to help someone with an addiction because they aren’t sure where to go, but even more so because they don't completely understand the experience of the person with the addiction. They do not know what form of help and support is going to be the most effective or accepted.

The good news is that although each situation is unique, there are specific guidelines for how to help an addict manage their addiction and get substance abuse under control. 

Let’s explore them below.

Addiction Help Guidelines

Educate Yourself

Before you can even begin thinking of the best approach for providing addiction help, you need to gain a better understanding of what addiction is, how it progresses, and what impact it has both on the person suffering and those around them.

By doing that, you will begin to understand what the person in your life is going through and will gain valuable insights about how to help a drug addict. This is done by researching people who have had similar experiences.

You will probably find relevant stories about how addiction can negatively affect the people around the person suffering, including yourself, as well as helpful advice about how to protect yourself and others from the destructive behaviors that might present themselves.

Finally, you will learn about where to seek help with addiction, how to approach the person you want to help, as well as what types of withdrawal symptoms they will likely go through when trying to recover.

Honesty, Trust, and Communication

In order for positive change to happen, honesty and trust must be integral ingredients throughout the process of providing help for drug addiction.

You will need to find common ground with the person suffering from addiction, and that is only possible if both of you trust each other enough to listen and consider the other’s point of view.

As you probably know, people that are addicted can often be in denial about their condition and may firmly believe that they have everything under control. Instead of confronting them about this, try to show compassion for their situation. Instead of emotion, use logic and reason to calmly point out how addiction manifests, what the symptoms are, and how the symptoms the person is exhibiting match up.

Have Realistic Expectations

The desire to figure out how to help someone with a drug addiction can be very strong, but you must understand that even though the situation seems crystal clear from your perspective, an addicted person will not see it the same way.

In fact, even the most convincing arguments backed by reason may go unnoticed, so you need to be prepared to exercise patience and wait for the person to realize what they need for themselves. Although it may not seem like it, you being there and trying to guide and support them towards seeking help does have an effect, and can eventually lead to positive outcomes.

The gap between acknowledging "my friend is addicted to a substance" and moving forward to getting them tangible addiction help can sometimes seem insurmountable. Still, if you remain patient and calm, while at the same time showing restraint and not enabling self-destructive behaviors, you will get through eventually.

Take Care of Yourself

When providing addiction help, you also need to be able to help yourself. Make sure that you are able to tackle the situation at hand without becoming overwhelmed and stretched too thin.

It's okay to admit to yourself that the situation is very stressful and is causing strain. In fact, taking care of yourself by seeking help and counsel from a larger support system or from a professional counselor will most likely allow you to better help the addict you've been aiming to support. Be sure to seek out those that can help you manage your own emotions and maintain a level head when dealing with the various situations that can arise when helping someone with a substance abuse problem.

Avoiding self-care will only make it more difficult to help the person that is suffering from addiction: it can create anger and resentment that will make communication or providing help nearly impossible.

Seek Professional Help

Sometimes, figuring out the best way to provide help for addiction can be a challenge, especially if you haven’t dealt with a similar situation before, or are beginning to feel overwhelmed. 

In these cases, it might be best to seek help from a professional that specializes in addressing addiction struggles. They can listen to your input on the situation, provide insights about the typical experiences by others, and suggest approaches that you might want to use depending on the circumstances that you are in.

Whether you reach out to a mental health facility that deals with addictions or seek help from Church groups that provide counseling, getting the opinion of someone knowledgeable and professional will give you an outside perspective and help figure out the best approach for you and the person that is addicted.

Providing addiction help to someone close to you is essential, but you need to understand that the process is complicated, takes time, and that it’s crucial to take care of yourself first.

Countrywide Testing

At Countrywide Testing, we offer a range of drug test kits that can help control substance use and keep track of a person’s road to recovery. To learn more, please call us at (469) 389-2120 today.