Empathy and empowerment. These are things we preach about daily but still fatally struggle with, especially when considering those who suffer from mental illness and addiction. You don’t even have ...
Looking for Something Specific?
Is your son an addict? Maybe it’s your husband, your daughter, a friend… no matter how this person relates to you, being the loved one of an addict is an incredibly confusing and tumultuous relationship. The outwardly explosive effect of substance abuse creates some pretty awful situations. A few scenarios come to mind: stealing, lying, overdose, neglected children, failed potential… How do you help someone who either doesn’t want help, or isn’t ready for it?
You’re Not the Only Powerless One
We are the first to admit that addicts are accountable for their actions. But part of the reason their recovery is either flailing or a non-starter is that they can’t admit their powerlessness over drugs and alcohol. Understanding the role of control for both addicts and loved ones is essential to moving forward. We address these blogs to loved ones.
Discussion Topics
- Recognizing the signs of addiction
- Getting your addict into treatment
- Understanding your own emotions
- Helping versus enabling
Teen Substance Abuse: What To Do If Your Child Is Struggling With Substance Abuse
Ask any parent what they think about parenting and almost every single one of them will say it’s rewarding and their greatest accomplishment. But parenting is scary. You’re responsible for ...
Is My Child Struggling with Substance Abuse?
Love is blinding — especially when it comes to your child. Children are seen as a parent’s greatest accomplishment, and virtually every parent will have no qualms with boasting about ...
Judging Addicts vs. Treating Addicts with Compassion
It’s easy to look at the too-thin, dirt-caked arms peeking through dirty heaps of newspaper and tattered blankets, hear the nonsensical mutterings, and think: “addict.” The quick thought is likely ...
Doctor Manipulation: How an Addict Will Manipulate Psychiatrists to Get Drugs
If you’ve known someone who has struggled with addiction, chances are you’re all too familiar with the fact that addicts manipulate. Manipulation accompanies the struggle, no ifs, ands, or buts. …
Going to Treatment as a Couple is a Bad Idea
Loving someone who suffers with an active addiction is hard enough—but when you’re suffering along with that person, everything becomes more complicated. You’re painfully familiar with the demon that holds ...
Getting a Job with a Felony Drug Charge
You would think that once you get clean and finish treatment, it would just be a matter of willpower to get your life going again on the outside. After all, ...
Who Answers Addiction Help Lines?
Making the decision to accept help SHOULD be the most difficult part of getting help for addicts. After all, it’s not easy to move through the stages of change toward ...
The Small Window for Addicts Wanting Help
The mind of an addict is chaotic. Even once they’ve hit rock bottom (or somewhere close), the rational mind remains chained beneath chemical dependency. Addiction hijacks the brain in a …
Separating the Addict from Their Addict Behavior
One of the most gut-wrenching results of addiction is how it turns people we love into strangers. Somewhere along the line, loved ones who once thrived with shining personal traits ...