Did you know that more than 23 million people in the United States suffer from drug and alcohol addiction? This number can be misleading because it is far too small. Those 23 million people have families that love and care for them and they struggle through the fight as well. The friends and family of an addict want to see them get healthy, but often times they don’t know how to go about it. While professional help is recommended, these tips might be good to look at if you are trying to help an addict in your life.
- Try to keep your own values and beliefs in check. An addict will see the way you act and in an effort to feel better about themselves, they’ll try and bring you down. Hold onto your ideals and help bring them up to your level, don’t fall down to theirs.
- You can’t expect overnight results. These addictions can form in a matter of days and weeks, but they take much longer to break out of. Just asking them to get help isn’t going to work. You need to work out a plan and have multiple people that they know and love on the same page.
- If it is fiscally possible, you should enroll your loved one in a 90 day program. 30 day programs are a good start, but they have significantly higher relapse rates rates than the more stringent programs. Unfortunately, it often takes a traumatic event like an overdose or an accident for addicts to realize the harm they are doing to themselves and to others.
- Support is a major word in an addict’s life. They often feel worthless already because of the drugs, but a disconnected support system is not going to make things better. Try and stand by their side, but if you feel that your safety is in jeopardy, it is okay to remove yourself from the situation. If they reach out for answers, let them know that they can have you back only after they seek treatment.
- Addiction is a sickness and it is important to keep that in mind. Don’t get down on yourself and think that they are doing this on purpose to hurt you. They are doing this because they physically can’t stop.
Unfortunately, drug and alcohol abuse are part of our society. It affects men, women, teenagers, veterans, grandparents and it knows no boundaries. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, having them tested might be the first step on the path to treatment. Not getting a job or losing a job because of a failed test might just be the thing that makes the person realize what they have become.
To learn more about National Drug Screening’s Drug-Free Workplace program, call 866-843-4545 or click around on our website!
