Can you give someone addiction advice?
Dealing with someone who is addicted to a legal or illegal substance, is not like punishing a naughty child. The behavior that the person might display could be inherent to the drug addiction, and has nothing to do with the way the person would normally behave. And it is exactly this that should be your first clue that someone might need help. But knowing that, is not the easy solution. The addict might even know it herself, but herein lies the problem – does she want to be free of this drug that holds her life in its hands?
Many times the person does come to the point where there is no way that things could possibly get worse, without dying. This is that point in his or her life where help is sought, and if you are related to such a person, support will be your best tool. On the other hand, a situation might have become so bad, that the drug addict is no longer capable of even making such a choice, and an intervention is required. In all cases, professional help is the only advice that can be given.
The addict could have become addicted in a very short time, but the recovery process is aimed at a lifetime of living without substance abuse. Even the detoxification process is but the start, and not all that is involved. Experts recommend that medication and behavioral therapies are employed at the same time, to teach the person how to move forward and away from the drugs. Effective programs also make provision for relapse situations. It is not that they plan for the person to fail, but rather teach her how to move back and not fall into the cycle of abuse and addiction once again.
People become substance abusers and addicts for as many reasons as there possibly are people on this planet. How that can be dealt with, in a positive and life-long lasting manner will not depend on only avoiding the drug, but dealing with situations that caused the problem in the first place in a constructive way.
Addiction Advice
More often than not, when advice pertaining to those suffering from an addiction is dispensed, it is forgotten that there is a family (children, spouse or parents) who cannot help but be caught up in the disturbing and emotionally traumatic reality that is the life of one who abuses a substance. It is heartwarming to realise that certain drug – and alcohol rehabilitation programmes and/or centres take the time to consider those who live with a substance user and take the time to try and make their lives easier. There are certain “pearls of wisdom” that can be passed on to the family and perhaps even friends.
The most pertinent addiction advice that may be given to a husband or wife who has had no choice but to suffer through endless nights of worrying about his/her spouse, or the parent who feels s/he has no option other than to sit by and understand his/her child’s irrational, hurtful and irresponsible behaviour is as follows:
- Remember that living with and being a part of the life of someone who has a drug or alcohol dependency is not easy. It takes a toll and it is near impossible not to experience the stress that comes with this. That noted, it is important that while taking care of the person who is a person one does not neglect him/herself and that s/he should take extra care to look after his/her body.
- Although it is a natural reaction, it is absolutely essential to be mindful and avoiding blaming oneself or wracking oneself with guilt over the disease.
- Due to the fact that the addiction does not affect only the individual who has a drug or alcohol dependency, one of the most helpful and significant steps that the family may take is to join a family treatment programme. These programmes are designed such that the circumstances of the individual and family are taken into account and the most suitable one is then introduced.
Living with a person who abuses substances is by no means an easy experience. While the person becomes the centre of all attention the loved ones deserve a little addiction advice themselves.
If you find yourself with a substance abuse or chemical addiction problem, you may need to seek help from someone capable to supplying you with good and effective addiction advice that will help you overcome the issue at hand and triumph over your dependency.
Substance abuse and chemical addiction is not a joke, it is a dire situation which all too many people find themselves in, often too late to prevent any real life-changing damage to themselves or those around them. As with any addiction, substance abuse needs to be treated as early as possible. If the person allows themselves to get to a point of physical dependency, a point at which one’s choices and judgement has been severely affected, it may already be too late to turn back on the drug. Advice is out there and most rehab centres catering to addiction will have a team of specially trained medical practitioners capable of supplying advice and recommendations that will really help you along.
If the person is far gone and possibly unable to see the damage that is being done to themselves and those around them, some good advice for this addiction would be to set up an intervention with the people most likely to bring this point home to the addict. Certain counsellors and doctors will often give advice on how to run one of these intervention so as to get the best results and not cause outburst violent or otherwise in the addict.
The obvious advice with addiction is for the user to not allow themselves to get to a point of dependency with any substance. Addiction is one of those things which may not be immediately obvious to the user. If it is discovered that someone in your family or circle of friends may be abusing a substance, be that prescription drug, illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine or even alcohol, it is best to get addiction advice from a specialist before taking any drastic action.
Addiction advice could come from not only a doctor or psychiatrist but even from a psychologist at your nearest government funded institution or hospital, help is available and advice on the best path forward is readily available if required.
One can become addicted to a variety of substances including alcohol, drugs, gambling, cigarettes, even Coca Cola! Once a person becomes addicted to something it is extremely hard to break the habit. Sometimes the addicted person realised in time that they need to get help and fortunately for them there are lots of ways and means to break the addiction. This does not however mean that it is going to be an easy ride!
The first step to getting help for an addiction problem is admitting that there is a problem in the first place and that help is needed for it. Always remember that one cannot change something if it not acknowledged in the first place. There are various types of rehab centres all over the world designed to help people overcome addictions. The most common centres are drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres. Once you start realising that you cannot go through a day without a drink or taking some sort of drug, going to rehab is a good idea.
Obviously the best way to beat an addiction is to not start a bad habit in the first place. Once you start smoking, don’t get tempted by friends or anyone else to try something stronger. If you have an occasional drink, do not get into the habit of starting to drink for any reason or just for fun. Keep strong tabs on you habits in order that you may become aware should you start to crave more of what you are doing.
Try to avoid the places you normally go and where the temptation may be the strongest. If you have friends that are always trying to get you to try things out, best would be to get rid of them. Your health and wellbeing is what’s important. Not how many different drugs or drinks you can have in one night. Then try and surround yourself with positive people and keep your thinking positive as well. Also be careful of anti-addiction products such as electronic cigarettes or nicotine bubblegum as you can even become addicted to these things too!