While the individual user may be struggling with his or her addiction, sometimes the family or loved ones are forgotten. When someone is addicted to a substance, it is much easier to fall into a tunnel vision state where they block everything else in their life that interferes with their drug use and if a friend, a wife, or a son get in the way of them hiding their secret, the user will avoid them or hide from them. The drug takes over their life.
The problem is that many users may not even realize that they are pushing loved ones out of their life. In some cases, being fixated on the substance also causes the user to be in denial or oblivious to the problems arising from their addiction and how those problems are affecting others they care about. Their loved ones see the addict’s problems without question, but unfortunately, the addict cannot see his or her own struggles. When this occurs in a family, the effects can put a heavy burden on everyone.
Imagine having a family member who you can tell is struggling with something and who has changed significantly in the past year. Maybe they have become more distant, more secretive, and when you ask what’s going on, the only answers you get are responses that avoid your questions. Now, imagine finding out through from someone else other than the family member directly telling you that they have been taking drugs the whole time. Whenever you try to talk to them about their drug use, they deny it or avoid the conversation by running away or not answering. This would put a strain on any family.
It is hard to watch a loved one suffer and not seek help for their suffering. The hardest part is gaining cooperation from them. But if we look into the mind of the user, we might understand why they are so avoidant in discussing their addiction. Sometimes shame prevents the user from talking about their problem, or the user may not believe they can ever get off the drug. Maybe they’ve tried, but the withdrawal symptoms were just too overwhelming and discouraged any hope for recovery. This is when emotional support is needed from family members to help the user understand that he or she does not have to face their struggles alone. The worst part about being addicted is that no one else understands because no one else in the family is addicted to the drug.
Thankfully, there are methods of family therapy that have proven to help with conflicts between the user and loved ones. There are also suggestions on how to handle a situation with an addicted family member. Creating boundaries is necessary to avoid enabling, but the family has to also keep their own health in check because it is much harder to help someone when the family is having problems of their own. The user should slowly be encouraged to seek professional help without confrontation.
Asana Recovery can help with the addiction and relapse problems that a loved one may be struggling with. No one should have to face the battle alone, that is why addiction treatment centers exist, for professionally trained individuals to help the user get off the drug for good. Contact Asana Recovery at 949-438-4504 to learn more about their treatment programs.
