Finding out your partner is struggling with drug addiction can be one of the hardest things a person can go through. Here are ways to help your partner when they are struggling with drug addiction.

 

How To Help Your Partner When They Are Struggling With Drug Addiction

 

Addiction is a serious problem in today’s society.  From drugs to alcohol, people are consuming substances at alarming rates.  This can lead to addiction, which is a battle for the addict to overcome. However, it can put their loved ones through hell as well.  If you are in a relationship with someone who struggles with drug addiction, then this article is for you.  Here are some ways that you can help your partner recover from their drug addiction and get back into focusing on themselves again.  

1. Educate Yourself on Drug Addiction

Many times a person who struggles with drug addiction will try and hide their problems from those closest to them. Addiction isn’t something easy to understand. It takes over the life of the person struggling with it, leaving little room for anything else besides the substance they are addicted to. They may not want you to know just how bad things have gotten or how much use has progressed over time.   The first step you should take as a loving partner is to educate yourself on the signs and symptoms of drug addiction so that you can recognize what your partner may be going through even if they don’t want to admit it at first.

2. Don’t Make Assumptions

Drug addiction is a complicated illness that affects the addict’s brain chemically.  They may lose friends and loved ones due to their addiction or have legal problems as well if they are caught with drugs on them or are manufacturing illegal substances. Just because you see your partner struggling through these things doesn’t mean they enjoy it or even want to go through this problem alone. Asking questions about what they are going through may help you understand what they are dealing with more than just guessing.  You will also be able to learn about how best to help them get through it too, instead of assuming that you know what’s best.

3. Be Patient with Them

This is a battle for your loved one to fight, not yours.  You are coming into this at the tail end of their struggle so you may feel like they should just be able to snap out of it and handle things on their own again. While there are treatments available that will help them get over their addiction even faster, don’t expect that they can beat this problem overnight or even in the space of a few weeks without help from outside sources. They need your patience as well as theirs, especially when they are going through withdrawals or having cravings for the substance they are addicted to.

Finding out your partner is struggling with drug addiction can be one of the hardest things a person can go through. Here are ways to help your partner when they are struggling with drug addiction.”>

4. Offer Supportive Services

If you live in an area where drug addiction treatment services are offered, you can help your loved ones by offering to go with them or even take them there. Don’t hesitate in supporting a spouse in addiction recovery. They may not want you to see them hitting rock bottom like this and will only push you away if you try and force yourself into their life too much.  However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be around for them when they need someone to talk to about their problems with.

5. Offer To Help Them Quit

Do you know what the hardest part of drug addiction is? Quitting. It takes an incredible amount of effort for anyone who is addicted to stop using the substance they love so much.  They don’t want to quit, because as far as the person struggling knows the only good things in their life are those drugs they find so easy to get addicted to. You can offer your support and help them overcome it by quitting right along with them. It may take some time but it will be worth it when you both show each other that you can kick this problem’s ass together and become stronger than before you both got started on it.

6. Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep

This is a tried and true method for anyone who wants to stop another person from doing something they want, or believe is best for them: tell them “No.”  Sometimes family members or loved ones of addicts try to help them by making promises that they can’t keep. They may swear never to give up on their loved ones or even stay away from drugs themselves but are only setting the both of them up for failure when they are unable to follow through with these actions. Stay honest with your partner about what you are willing and not willing to do for them so they know where your limits are in this situation.

7. Never Belittle What They’re Struggling With

Just because someone has a problem doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with being different than others who don’t have the same problem. You could be insulting someone else either intentionally or accidentally if you start calling other people “junkies” to describe your loved one struggling with drug addiction.  Sometimes family members of addicts will do this, not realizing how critical it is for someone who has an addiction to feeling like they are less than other people around them or even themselves. You can help keep them away from this by recognizing how much effort they are putting into overcoming their problem and praising their efforts instead.

It can be difficult to know how best to help a partner struggling with addiction. But this guide explains effective ways to do that and now is a good time to get started.