5 Things That You Can Do To Help Your Friend Overcome Drug Addiction

Seeing your friends and family members being drug-addicted can be one of the most heartbreaking moments. However, sweeping the dust under the rug can damage both your and your loved ones.

As painful and challenging as it is, it is important that you find the courage and talk about their addiction and convince them to seek professional help.

It is easy to talk about strangers and pass comments on what and what not to do. However, when it comes down to our loved ones, we tend to become emotional and stray from the path of taking the same decision.

This is why we are here. Today, we will discuss what you can do to help your friend overcome drug addiction.

Helping A Friend With Drug Addiction

When a friend shows signs of a substance use disorder, it is hard to know what to say. Once your friend falls victim to drug and alcohol addiction, it affects their normal brain functioning. 

Researchers have shown that addiction is a brain disorder. You can even consider it similar to that of diabetes or heart disease. In fact, addiction can be more life-threatening than these medical conditions. But before all, you should give a test. There is a variety of specimens, such as blood, urine, hair, and nail collection, depending on the desired detection period. So drug testing is a must to make sure you are not blaming someone in vain.

Furthermore, the behavior and social symptoms of the patients can affect the people around them.

Making A Decision To Help

When finally making up your mind to speak with your friend, you may have certain concerns on how to speak with them. In that case, the following suggestion might help you.

• You might fear or have mixed feelings about indulging yourself in something related to addiction. However, you mustn’t forget addiction is a life-threatening disease; if not treated today, you must lose your friend.

• You might wait for someone else to say something. But, what if no one does? So, instead of waiting, you step up yourself.

• Finally, you may find that you two are no longer friends because of what has happened in the past. So, you must take responsibility for your feelings.

Now that you have found the motivation to confront your friend, it is time to dig some soil to see just how deep their addiction goes.

Psychological Symptoms

When a person has a psychological craving for the drug, you might find the following symptoms surfacing up.

• Overconsumption of alcohol in social gatherings.
• Feeling anxious or depressed.
• Steal or sell things to get their hands on alcohol or drugs.
• Constant mood swings.
• Have problems at work and home.
• Taking part in dangerous behavior such as DUI.

Physical Symptoms

When a person’s body becomes dependent, you might find the following physical symptoms.

• Weight loss or weight gain.
• Insomnia.
• Needs more drugs or alcohol.
• Physical withdrawal symptoms.

Things You Can Do To Help Your Friend Struggling From Drug Addiction

Helping a friend who is struggling with drug addiction is not easy. In fact, it is often difficult to initiate a conversation. However, knowing the following things will ensure your words are conveyed as intended.

1. Intervention

Intervention is the best way to deal with this kind of situation. You don’t have to confront your friend alone. Instead, you can call their family members and ask them to join you with the intervention.

So what is this intervention all about?

Intervention is a setting where you gather all the individuals who are close to the addicted patients. They talk with the patient, showcase their thoughts, and convince the patients to seek help from a professional detox center.

Talking about professional detox centers, you must be selective about the detox center you choose for the treatment. Different centers have different approaches and offer different services. To know more about detox centers, browse this site.

2. Educate Yourself About The Signs Of Addiction

People suffering from addiction can exhibit a range of symptoms. These symptoms can be related to their behavioral changes, physical appearance, and social interaction. However, the symptoms can vary person to person depending on the type of addiction and its severity.

Behavioral Symptoms:

• Anxiety.
• Lack of motivation.
• Self-isolation.
• Risky behavior like drunk driving.
• Neglected responsibilities.

Physical Symptoms:

• Bloodshot eyes.
• Excessive sweating.
• Sleeping problems.
• Slurred speech.
• Tremors. 

Social Symptoms:

• Financial difficulties.
• Legal issues.
• Socialization with people who abuse drugs.

3. Encourage Them To Get Help

It is important to talk with your friend about substance use. While you decide to start a conversation with them, ensure that they are not under the influence of substance use. This is to ensure that they are sober at the time you are talking with them.

While communicating with the friend, you must create a two-way dialogue to not feel like being lectured. Be sure to list out all the dangerous behavior you have noticed in them. Always frame your words around the concept ‘you are there for them’.

4. Offer Recovery Treatment Programs

Before starting with the communication, you must start research about addiction recovery treatment programs. Do diligent research covering all the aspects of treatments and their procedures. This will help you with an immediate solution if your friend is ready for the treatment.

Find out exactly how the treatment works and plan for your friend to start the treatment immediately. Have a bag packed and transportation prearranged to make the decision go smoother.

5. Offer Love & Support

The last thing you would like to make friends with is mocking them about their addiction. If you are not careful enough about how you treat them and behave around them, they might feel offended. In these cases, a social detox might be beneficial for them.

While talking with a friend who has fallen victim to addiction, you must offer empathy with your words and support them in their current condition. This will help you gain their trust and make it easy to convince them to accept an addiction treatment program.

Conclusion

There you have it. Now you know how you can communicate with your friends suffering from addiction. This article has listed down a few points that will help you hold a conversation effectively.