Addiction impacts the entire immediate household. Parents might wonder what they did wrong. Siblings might wish that they had spotted the symptoms sooner.
Therefore, a lot of guilt tends to permeate a household rocked by addiction.
As their friend, you can continue acting as a friend. You can also help family members of addicts by helping them find resources.
It’s a tough situation that the family must deal with on their terms. A common trait among addicts is blaming others. Thus, the family members could receive a lot of harsh words from the affected member. In most situations, the blame causes the guilt and anxiety to worsen.
Sometimes the home environment does cause individuals to fall into addiction. If open drug use took place, children see it as normal.
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Substance Use Disorder Affects Young and Older
The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics found that adolescents who try drugs by the age of 13 have a 70% chance of developing a long-term substance use disorder in the following seven years.
However, it’s not only adolescents at risk of developing a substance use disorder; adults remain at risk too.
Before the lockdowns of 2020, mental health in the United States had already started declining. Individuals who attempt to self-medicate their depression or anxiety can lead themselves into addiction.
Addiction can impact extended family members and friends too.
We provide five tips to support family members of addicts as a friend.
1. Remind Them that Help is Available
In 2022, more resources remain available to individuals who require substance use disorder support and rehabilitation than a few years ago.
Individuals can enter inpatient programs. They can also consider outpatient therapy or hospital treatment programs.
If cost is a concern, private and government-funded options exist. Many communities invest resources into helping people overcome their addictions. When addiction rates fall so do crime, homelessness, and unemployment.
2. Lend Them Your Ear
If the family members of addicts close to you feel guilt over the situation, lend them your ear.
This situation calls for your superior listening skills instead of your observational ones.
Therefore, use your empathy and allow them to unburden their chests.
3. Help Them Obtain Educational Materials
As a friend, having an opinion on the situation is a tricky road to navigate. Maybe the parents should have practiced more care around their children.
It wasn’t a good idea to enjoy adult beverages around them or they should have avoided using marijuana recreationally.
Nonetheless, your friends probably feel enough guilt as it is. Plus, they probably see the errors of their ways now. Instead of pointing the finger, consider helping them obtain educational materials on what to do next.
Online .gov and .org websites provide statistics, tips, and resources. Some to consider include the:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics
- Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
Individuals who have undergone inpatient rehab require support afterward too. Therefore, the family members should prepare for the next stage.
4. Remind Them that Family Counseling is Available
An addict receives support in inpatient and outpatient programs in increments of 30 days. They participate in counseling and therapy sessions on a one-on-one basis and group setting.
Family counseling and therapy are also available; it’s part of the healing process. When they talk to each other in front of an unbiased third party, the healing process becomes more productive.
Plus, it’s their opportunity to make changes that decrease the chance of relapse for the impacted individual.
5. Help Them Find Family Activities
Households undergo a lot of emotions after a member admits that they have a substance use disorder. In the aftermath, they must learn how to trust each other again. Therefore, participating in family activities is recommended.
You can help them find those activities. Some locations and activity organizers specifically cater to this situation. Others are activities that anyone can enjoy such as hiking and yoga sessions.
In the middle of the chaos, you can help them plan the trips.
Conclusion
When addition lands in a household, it disrupts their lives. As a friend, you can lend them your ear. Many parents and siblings experience extreme guilt. Therefore, they need someone to talk with. In addition, you can help them find resources that provide family rehabilitation programs.
