Taking
Care of Yourself While Caring For a Drug Addict
When someone you love is suffering from addiction or trying to succeed in
addiction recovery, it is normal to want to help. But in order to efficiently
help the addict, you must first take care of yourself.
When someone
you love is suffering from a drug addiction or going through recovery you want
to help in any way possible. However, if you are not caring for your own
physical, emotional, and spiritual needs it is very difficult to help someone
else. This is especially true when it comes to trying to help the drug addict
in your life, as it is a stressful, heart-breaking, and exhausting endeavor.
The following
tips can help you care for yourself while trying to care for someone you love
who is dealing with addiction as well as recognizing the difference between
‘helping' and ‘enabling,' so that you and the drug addict you love have the
greatest chance of being and getting well.
Tips for Taking Care of Yourself when you Love a
Drug Addict
The agony faced
by those who care for an addict is great. You may worry each day that your
loved one will end up either in jail or dead. Unfortunately, you have no
control over the life or choices of your loved one. You can, however, choose
how you care for your own life — so that you can be of the best help to them.
1.
Exercise
Exercise is
important for everyone, but can be particularly helpful for dealing with stress
— which anyone who loves a drug addict has a lot of. Find something you enjoy
and do it even if it’s for a short periods of time. Follow a yoga video on
YouTube, take a 10 minute walk in your neighborhood, or join a fun aerobic
dance class. Whatever it is, moving your body is good for you and will help
clear your mind.
2. Eat well
It
can be easy to neglect healthy eating habits, but caring for yourself means
caring for your body. Avoid too many high-fat and sugary foods which will slow
you down and compromise your overall health. Make sure you are getting the
nutrients you need by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. The fact that
eating well can also help reduce stress could be a good incentive to priorities
a balanced diet.
3. Sleep well
It can be
difficult to sleep well when you are worrying about the drug addict in your
life. However, sleep is an important aspect of physical health and mental
well-being so make getting enough sleep a priority. Practice a healthy
sleep routine and do not sacrifice getting 8 hours of sleep every night.
4. Do something you love
Doing something
you love will help you find balance in your life and bring joy into difficult
times. Reengage in old hobbies you once enjoyed or find a new one. Make a point
to designate days or times that are solely for you to do anything that you
enjoy.
5. Understand that self-care is not selfish
Too many people
get these two ideas confused and mistakenly believe that by putting their own
needs first they are being selfish. Taking care of your physical and mental
health by spending time doing things you love and prioritizing your eating,
exercise, and sleep habits is not selfish and is in fact necessary if you want
to have the energy to help someone else.
6. Learn about addiction
One of the best
things you can do in your quest to help a drug addict is to learn as much as
you can about the effects of drug addiction. Educating yourself about
addiction and recovery will allow you to deal more compassionately and
effectively with the drug addict in your life, which in turn will lower your
level of stress.
7.
Avoid self-blame
You cannot
control another person's decisions. Nor can you force them to change. You did
not cause the addiction, and blaming yourself will only hinder both your own
and the addict's ability to be well.
8. Recognise and stop enabling behaviours
This may be the
most difficult task that those who want to help and care for a drug addict
face. It can be very difficult to recognise that much of what you are doing to
‘help' an addict is actually enabling their addiction. As hard as it can be to
see your loved one struggle, giving them money, letting them live with you
while they are still using, and making excuses for their behaviour are all
actions that allow the addiction to continue and shield the addict from facing
the consequences of their addiction. It will feel counterintuitive, but to help
an addict you must recognise and stop all enabling behaviours.
9. Ask for help and join support activities
The best thing
you can do to help yourself if you love a drug addict is to reach out for
support. Seek your own personal counseling, join a support group or meet a
counselor, or join online communities that offer support for families of addicts.
Although it can feel very lonely, you are not alone in your pain and there are
many people who can help you learn how to best help an addict you love.
Remember
that Addiction Recovery is Possible
There
are millions of people worldwide who have successfully recovered from an
addiction. Never give up hope and always let the drug addict in your life know
that you love them and believe in them and you are willing to help them get
into treatment, or actively work on recovery when they are ready.
You can do your
best to get your loved one into treatment by working with professional
addiction counsellors to stage an intervention. An intervention is a
carefully planned meeting between friends and family members and the drug
addict with the goal of getting them into the appropriate treatment. Even if an
intervention or treatment has failed in the past, each exposure to alcohol or
drug rehab has benefits and will get your family member one step closer to
recovery.
Speaking with addiction treatment specialist at Shafa Home can help you understand the options so that when your loved one is ready you know
where to send them to get the best care for their addiction.
Shafa Home is country’s premier
organization for treatment of alcohol/drug problems, de-addiction,
rehabilitation, counseling, treatment for females, nasha mukti, psychiatric disorders
and secondary addictions like gambling, internet etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment