Drug abuse in the United States is on the rise. In fact last year, there were 64,000 killed from illegal drugs like heroin and Crystal meth and legal drugs like alcohol and prescription drugs. It is an epidemic that many addicts don’t even realize that they are a part of. They think they can stop anytime, they only do meth to get their house clean or they take Vicodin just to sleep. Addiction is a progressive and deadly disease, meaning it doesn’t just stop on its own but it requires drug and alcohol treatment.
How Can You Tell Your Loved One is an Addict If He’s Hiding It?
Do you have a friend or family member that you fear is suffering from substance abuse? It is sometimes Crystal clear to see if someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, while other instances, the individual is so used to lying and manipulating to get their drugs that you can’t tell until it is too late. Some signs that most addicts will exhibit on some level while they are under the influence are:
- Catching them in lies, that often make no sense.
- Rapid weight loss, poor personal hygiene, and change in appearance.
- Valuable items and cash missing; likely stolen to be sold or traded for drugs.
- They are unable to support themselves at the level they were before.
- Friends and associates coming around often for short periods of time that no one else knows.
- Missing work and or school due to being hungover, exhausted or needing to get substances due to withdrawals.
- Finding items like drug pipes or pills, having missing spoons, cut straws and needles.
- Getting sick often, then feeling better quickly after someone visits or they go out, is a sign of drug withdrawal. (Many drugs make an individual sick if they use them often and suddenly stop.)
What You Can & Can’t-Do to Help an Addict who Refuses To be Helped
If you are close to the addict and want them to seek treatment, it can be a trying process. You will want to try to talk to them alone before bringing a group of friends and family to talk to them. How you phrase things is crucial. Nonjudgemental and understanding always work best. Set boundaries. If you say they can not come to your home under the influence, mean it. Tell them to leave if they come high. Do not enable them by giving them cash.
If they need food, take them out to eat or make them dinner. You can be there for them without helping them make their substance abuse worse.
What to Say: Having a Conversation with Them
The disease of addiction will tell the addicted person that they are managing their life just fine. Speaking to a substance abuse professional, an interventionist or a treatment consultant prior to the conversation can help you navigate the conversation and ask them questions like:
- Ask them what areas of their lives are being affected since they began abusing substances?
- How have their relationships with their friends and family been affected?
- How are there daily living skills at the moment? Are they showering daily? Combing their hair? Washing the clothes?
- Are they keeping up with their housework and home duties?
- Ask them clearly if what they are doing is working for them in a positive way. Have drugs improved their life?
- Ask them if they have had any significant losses in their life since they began using drugs or alcohol.
- Are they using every day? How much of their paycheck goes towards drugs? Do they still have a job?
Get Them to Agree to an Evaluation
An evaluation is the first step in the process of getting help. If you want to make it a little bit easier try asking them if they would be willing to just go for a drug and alcohol evaluation. Many states and county programs, as well as private drug rehab facilities, have these services and that’s all that it is, an evaluation. It is a good start for those who are questioning an addiction or are ready to get help.
Facilities like United Recovery Project, offer an evaluation and insurance verification when you contact their facility and will suggest what the best treatment options for your situation are.
You can also speak to them about going to an AA or NA meeting to see and speak to other addicts about their lives. This is often a real eye opener seeing others who were in this position. The counselor or treatment consultant will explain to them that there is intensive inpatient rehabs, intensive outpatient, once or twice weekly outpatient and medication-assisted therapy for certain drug problems.
There are many routes you can go with this that the treatment consultant can explain this to you.
Tell Them How They Have Directly Hurt You
Another approach that you may want to take my speaking to the addict about how it has directly affected your specific relationship. Remind them how you used to do certain things together and how you don’t do them anymore. Bring out the nostalgia and the human being that is inside the addiction. They are still in there just trapped. You might want to remind them of things they have done to hurt you.
They might have stolen money from you and you haven’t confronted them about that yet. This is the time to do so. If after a few tries and they are not responding to you doing it alone you may have to do an intervention which involves more friends and family and a trained counselor.
Stay Involved
If they finally agree to seek help after many attempts and conversations, make sure to keep your promises and stay involved. If they enter an inpatient rehab program away from home encourage them with packages containing books on recovery, reminders of home, words of encouragement and other things that can help them feel uplifted while they are away.
Once the addict leaves rehab many will have the option of living at a sober living home. If this isn’t an option for your loved one it will be vital to support them once they return home. Take them to meetings and other recovery-related events. Show a genuine interest that you are there for the long haul and that you understand it is a lifelong disease.
There will be many ups and downs in your loved one’s early recovery, so make sure that you are being supportive. If your loved-one relapses, make sure to not enable their continued use. Set boundaries and maintain your ground.
Contact United Recovery Project & Help Your Loved-One Take the First Step
Contact United Recovery Project today and speak to one of our caring treatment consultants today. We will assist you and your loved-one in an evaluation and we will verify your health insurance benefits. Once the evaluation is complete we will go over the best level of care and begin to make travel arrangements if necessary. United Recovery Project is dedicated to helping addicts find recovery and begin a new life without drugs & alcohol. Contact us today at 1-888-960-5121 now.
