How Do You Help Someone With a Drug Addiction?

How do you help someone who has a drug addiction?  First, you need to make sure there is a problem.  Chances are, of course, that there is one if the person has been experimenting with drugs and has changed his behavior.  Are his grades slipping if he is a student?  Is he calling in to work?  Has he withdrawn from friends and family?  If you believe there is a drug addiction, you are probably right.  So where do you go from there?  You talk to the person.  You talk to professional counselors.  You get guidance on how to help the person with the drug addiction. 

Help the person to recognize and face that he has a drug addiction.  This is best done sometimes in what is called an intervention.  Call the helpline and the intake counselor will be happy to go over what an intervention is.  A counselor can help with the intervention so that the environment stays controlled.   When someone is facing friends and family it can become emotional so definitely take the offer of having the counselor at the intervention. 

Let your friend or family member know that you support him, that you are there for him and that you encourage him to seek help.  However, be careful not to become an enabler and remember that you have a life, too.  Do not let your own be destroyed by someone else's drug addiction. 

When your loved one comes out of a drug rehab, help him try to be stress free while he is re-orienting himself back into a normal, everyday life.  Encourage him to attend his support meetings and it is wise if you attend those that are set up for family members.  Understanding drug addiction and how it affects everyone and not just the person using is the key to a successful recovery for everyone.