One of the biggest mistakes family members of an opiate addict make is to enable them for more addiction by showing lots of care. When it comes to dealing with addicts, tough love works, say rehab specialists. If you feel pity for the addict, provide them food, shelter, or even money, they would never want to change.
An addict has no ambition in life. A place to sleep in, a meal, and some money to buy more drugs – that’s only what life is about for an addict.
Rhode Island drug rehab specialists observe that enabling is common, as families can’t see their loved one suffer like that. However, you are only pushing him/her into more addiction by showing lovers and sheltering them.
So, what to do?
You can’t let your loved one go on like this, right?
Here are a few tips by experts to deal with opioid addicts in your family.
1. Being harsh can be an eye-opener for the addict
Reaching rock bottom in life, at times, becomes the wake-up call for people with opioid addiction. If you continue to give in to their demands of money, good food, a comfortable place to sleep in, and their erratic timings, they would never change.
Stop their supplies of money, good food, and comfort. It can sound merciless, but this is an effective way to urge them to stop their addictive ways.
2. Call for help
Once you stop providing comfort and financial support, roll your sleeves for some positive action. Call addiction hotline. Let your dear one know that you are doing this because you care for them. Not all addicts would understand this, but you can still try.
Here comes the role of a therapist. Often, addicts don’t listen to their families. They may even show violent or rude behavior. The best thing to do is enroll them in a rehab program.
3. Seek MAT
Medical-Assisted Therapy (MAT) often works in case of severe addiction. The body develops a dependence on the drug. Going off the drug just like that can be dangerous. It can produce intense opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Rehab centers usually have medical teams. They put the addict on medication and slowly taper off the doses. The entire detox program is done under constant supervision by doctors.
4. Show toughness, not ignorance
Ignoring an addict in the family can lead him/her towards the path of self-destruction, even prison or death. Show tough love. Care for them, but not pity them. If you do the latter, they might try to manipulate you to get money for drugs. Search for “drug rehab near me” and seek expert help to deal with them.
Preaching an addict is useless. Don’t try to tell them it’s bad to take drugs. Or they must stop taking it and do something useful in life. An addict won’t understand these things. Their life revolves around drugs. Moreover, addicts who want to quit, can’t, because of the highly addictive nature of opioids. So, at a point in time, it’s not their fault they take drugs.