Do you have a loved one currently in the grips of an alcohol or substance use disorder? If so, we understand the difficulties you face in helping your spouse or child help themselves recover. You’ve probably tried many things to encourage a family member to seek treatment, and hopefully, your tireless efforts finally bore fruit. Given that the majority of people living with active addiction never receive any treatment, there is a reasonably good chance that your loved one is resistant, too.
More than anything you do not want your loved one to become a statistic; you need to look no further than the news to grasp the stakes of addiction, especially opioid use disorder. For two decades now, the epidemic has cut people’s lives short; opioid overdose rates have only gone in one direction. Treatment is available, and it does work, but accessing it is often a challenge. What’s more, even when rehab is available for your loved one, it doesn’t mean they will be receptive to the idea; which is usually the case, at least at first.
There is a saying around the rooms of recovery, ‘addiction is cunning, baffling, and powerful.’ Naturally, you can read that in a number of ways; one way being that a person has a disease that is killing them and yet substance use persists. Help is available, but people refuse it and instead opt for continuing down a road of self-defeating behaviors and ultimately self-destruction. Therein lies the complex nature of mental illness.
Other’s Addiction Affects Your Mental Wellbeing
If you have a family member whose life is unmanageable due to drugs and alcohol, do not give up hope. When all seems lost, and you find yourself living in darkness, hope is the torch that will light your way. A time will come when your loved will see that they can no longer continue living how they have been, but there is no way of knowing when that will take place. There may come a time when you have to say to the person in need of help, ‘I will no longer support you until you are ready to accept that you have a problem that requires treatment.’
Family members struggle with setting boundaries when it comes to the people they care most about in life. It’s mind-boggling when you think about it, the lengths people will go to help a family member, only to have their dreams of recovery come crashing down. The pattern can cause severe heartache and mental strife in lives of those who love an addict. When this occurs, the optimal option is seeking professional assistance.
Interventionists are people who can help bridge the communication gap you are experiencing. They have the tools and skills to help an addict or alcoholic see the big picture of their addiction and mediate any discussions between family members. In matters of life and death, emotions can get the better of people; people say things that make progress more challenging to achieve. After years of turmoil, it is hard to be objective; the interventionist is far enough removed from the situation, which makes what they say more likely to get past an addict or alcoholic’s defenses. It is also worth pointing out that a significant number of interventionists are in recovery them self.
Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment
At Hope By The Sea, we work closely with some of the top interventionists in the world. We can help you get your family member into treatment. Please contact us at any time to learn more about how we can assist you or your loved one.
