A guide for family and friends in regards to drug abuse and drug dependence in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer and other parts of Alberta by Options Okanagan Treatment Center in Kelowna, British Columbia treating drug addiction and recovery.
Have you ever had a friend or family member develop a drug addiction?. Unfortunately, there have been many instances where a family member or friend of an individual has gone on to become addicted to drugs. Thankfully, lots of research has shown that a person that is close to a person that is addicted to drugs can be very influential in helping the person they care about get over their addiction.
The Importance Of Encouragement
If a person is addicted to drugs, they often will be unable to get treatment on their own. Thus, helpful encouragement on the importance of treatment is very beneficial. Here are a few ways that you can encourage a person addicted to drugs to get treatment.
a) Having deep and meaningful conversations with the person so that they understand their current situation and how it is detrimental to their future.
b) Being able to quickly provide support and advice once the person has decided that they would like to try out drug abuse treatment.
c) Be straight forward and honest with the person. Do not sugar coat the seriousness of drug addiction. Being able to tell them the truth about the dangers of their addiction will allow the person addicted to make informed and logical decisions about how to proceed next.
Helping The Individual With Their Recovery And Treatment.
Once the person has decided to undergo treatment:
a) Emphasize just how positive the choice to get treatment is.
b) Talk to the person about the possibility of a relapse. It is very common for a person to relapse after initial treatment. Thus, planning a plan to enforce if relapse happens will make the road to recovery much easier.
c) Tell the individual about how important it is for you to understand how their overall progress is going. However, it’s important to be kind and respectful when asking for this kind of information.
d) Once the treatment begins, the person may change. This means that their personality may change from before. It’s important to understand this so that you can look towards building a new relationship with the individual.
e) Be patient and proactive with the individual. Recovery from drug addiction can take a very long time. Thus, being patient and helping out the individual will further increase the chances of complete recovery.
f) Make sure that anywhere that the person is staying at is free of any kind of drugs.
Understand That You May Feel A Number Of Different Complex Emotions
Although it is very good that a person you care about is getting treatment, you should understand that it will also affect you personally. Emotionally, you may find that you:
a) Constantly worry about whether the person will relapse or not
b) Get angry that the person is more focused on going to such things as supportive meetings than spending time with you
c) Find it distressing to constantly change roles. For example, if you had to look after a pet while the person is in treatment, you may find it distressing if you have to stop caring for the pet as the person has been successfully treated.
d) You may feel guilty and paranoid about the person. You may not trust them like you did before because you know of their addictive tendencies.
e) Become resentful about how the person may have treated you in the past.
All of the emotions and feelings above are very common. It is important to understand the way a person’s addiction will affect you personally.
If you personally are having problems dealing with a person that you care about who is addicted to drugs, there is lots of support out there. There are support groups for people with family and friends that have drug problems. These groups will help you deal with a friend or family member that has developed a drug addiction.
Options Okanagan Drug Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive drug treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, meth drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Drug Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331