Understanding What Your Health Clinic Offers

Posted on: 4 September 2015

Drug addiction does not just affect the person abusing the drugs; it also hurts the individual's family members. The constant fear and worry family members feel can put a lot of unnecessary stress in their lives. If one of your family members abuses drugs, you can make things better. Here are four tips for helping a family member suffering from drug addiction:

Understand the Facts behind Addiction

If you don't take the time to learn about the reality behind addiction, you may blame yourself or think your family member is a bad person. The truth is that drug addiction is a mental illness and can't be fixed overnight. If you attend narcotics anonymous meetings with your family member, for example, you can learn more about what causes drug addiction and what you can do to help.

Don't Enable Your Family Member

Some people with drug addictions guilt their family members into giving them money for food, clothes, car payments, and other expenses. However, instead of using the money for what it's intended for, they may use it to buy drugs. That why you should never give or loan your family member money when he or she asks for it. Instead, if they claim to not have money for groceries, consider buying them some food or inviting them over to eat. You can still help them financially, just don't give them access to cash.

Take Good Care of Yourself

You can't properly help your family member if you don't take care of yourself. Dealing with someone who is addicted to drugs can lead to a lot of anxiety, so it's beneficial to eat a nutritious diet, sleep eight hours a night, and exercise regularly. Also, practice stress-reduction techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises.

Encourage Your Family Member to Get Treatment

Letting go of a drug addiction is very difficult for a person to do on their own, so you should push your family member to go to a drug rehab treatment center. At a treatment center, your loved one will be around trained professionals 24 hours a day and will learn how to beat the addiction. When you are talking to your family member, let her know how much it would mean to you if she got treatment. Tell your family member how much you love him and that you want to see him get better. Contact an establishment like the Center For Alcohol and Drug Treatment for more details.

Being around a family member with a drug addiction can be heartbreaking, but it is possible to help him or her. If you are patient with your loved one and provide support every step of the way, he or she will be more likely to beat the addiction.