Source: Dumb Little Man
If one of your loved ones has a drug addiction, you know that the road to recovery is typically a very long, challenging, and heartbreaking journey that the entire family will go on. You may get so overwhelmed that you decide to ignore the issue and sweep it under the rug.
However, this can cause more damage to you, your loved one, and your entire family. If you’re not sure what to say to a family member in this situation, we’ll give you several useful tips so you can help your loved one start and stay on the journey to recovery.
Understanding Drug Addiction
Before you can help your addicted loved one, you have to understand the addiction itself. Perhaps they started their drug addiction because all of their friends were experimenting, they were curious, or they wanted to numb themselves to emotional pain.
Although drug use doesn’t automatically mean that your loved one is going to abuse drugs, the line between recreational user and drug addict is often blurry, and it’s difficult to pinpoint a single point where it goes from recreational use to addicted.
However, if drug use is starting to cause issues with relationships or in a work environment, your loved one could be slipping toward addiction. Common risk factors for drug abuse include:
- A family history of addiction
- Traumatic experiences like abuse or neglect
- Mental health disorders
- Early exposure and use of drugs
Symptoms of Drug Abuse
There are several physical and behavioral symptoms that come with drug addiction.
While each drug comes with separate manifestations, and symptoms vary depending on the drug, a few common symptoms include:- Mood swings
- Sudden behavioral changes
- Glassy or red eyes
- Withdrawing from family
- Runny nose
- Lack of energy
- Changes in the sleeping patterns
- Sudden changes in how much money they’re spending
Six Ways to Help a Loved One With a Drug Addiction
There are several things that you can do to help support your loved one as they fight their drug addiction.
1. Educate Yourself About Drug Addiction
The first thing you want to do is to educate yourself about drug addiction, the signs, symptoms, and the addiction process. Drug addiction is extraordinarily complex, but educating yourself will give…
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