By: Lakeview Health
If you have been asking yourself how to support loved ones in recovery, there are several steps that you can take. It is essential to keep in mind that family members play some of the most vital roles in recovery from addiction. A strong support network is one of the pillars of a healthy, lasting recovery. And as a family member or loved one, there are specific strategies that you need to consider so that you can provide as much support as you can. It can be challenging to know how to support loved ones in recovery. But with a little help from a healthcare professional like the ones at Lakeview Health, you will have an excellent place to start in receiving family support for addiction.
Following Doctor’s Orders
It is important to remember, first of all, that you have great resources right at your fingertips. The best source for how to support loved ones in recovery is your loved one’s addiction counselor. The first step, then, is to ensure that your loved one is following the recommended treatment. Common approaches include:
- Individual therapy program
- Group therapy program
- External support groups
- Family therapy program
- Pharmacological support
As a family member, you can help by making sure that your loved one takes — but does not abuse — all prescription medications. You also have a crucial role in making sure that your family member attends all recommended therapy sessions and meetings. As a person struggling with addiction reintegrates into daily routines, it can be easy to miss these. But the chance of relapse is significantly reduced when they attend all required therapy and support group meetings. And if you are looking for how to support loved ones in recovery, there is no better way.
Make Sure They Do Not Use
It sounds simple. But sometimes the most straightforward answer to “how to support loved ones in recovery” is the simplest: don’t let them use substances. People who suffer from the disease of addiction are more sensitive to the effects of substances, and so must be kept from them. There are several strategies that you can employ to help with this:
- Let them know that there are stakes for their substance use and that abstaining from using is the only way to recovery
- Encourage them to explore hobbies and social groups, and to develop healthy routines
- Help them to build up a strong support network
Be There for Them
The final set of strategies regarding how to support loved ones in recovery is perhaps the most important. You need to listen to them and be there for them. Isolation and solitude are some of the most dangerous aspects of addiction. In recovery, it is even more critical that your loved one avoids them. Listen to them, talk to them, and help them process what they are going through. Learn to recognize the signs of relapse, and be there if they start to slip. Offer practical solutions to the difficulties that they are having. And perhaps most important of all, remind them that there is hope and that they can get through this.
Contact Lakeview Health
When dealing with addiction, there is no substitute for professional healthcare. But even with all of the tools that a well-regarded addiction treatment center like Lakeview Health can provide, the role of the family and other loved ones is key. If someone you love has been struggling with addiction and you have been worried about how to support loved ones in recovery, don’t hesitate. Contact Lakeview Health today at [Direct] or by using our convenient online form.
