If one of your loved ones fell into the drug addiction network, then you cannot avoid confusion, new questions and problems, the solution of which may not come immediately. There are many books written by drug therapists, psychotherapists and drug addicts themselves. But there are also several main guidelines, adhering to which, it will be easier for you to help your relative.
Helping a drug addict can be divided into two stages: before and after treatment. As long as you do not persuade him to be treated, as long as he denies the existence of addiction or claims that this is not a problem for him, your position should be extremely tough. Once you find out that your child, brother or spouse is using drugs, talk to him about it. Do not read lectures, but ask him, try to understand his position. What does he himself think about it? What are his plans? Is he going to be treated?
Of course, you arrive in shock, but scandals will only exacerbate the situation. Drug addiction is not a one-time offense, but a chronic illness with its preconditions, symptoms and consequences. Unfortunately, stories about harm to health and attempts to persuade her are not treated. If a person is not yet ripe for treatment, do not drag him by force to expensive clinics and charlatan magicians.
You can inject a medicine that relieves withdrawal symptoms and removes the drug from the body, but you cannot inject the thought into the addict's head that he needs to stop using drugs. And even more so, there is no pill that will give him the will to refuse the desired potion. So what can you do? Be extremely tough. Gather your own will into a fist, inform loved ones about your problem. Explain to them that they must be careful with money, let them not lend, do not help financially. It's hard to talk about it, but it's better if they learn from you and support you than if they start whispering behind your back.
In no case do not give for a "dose". Do not fall for blackmail and provocations, do not ruin your loved one with your own hands. Every "last time" you will be sworn and bowed at your feet, but this last time will not come until the addict runs out of money.
If a drug addict starts stealing and poses a danger to you and your family members, change the locks and drive them out of the house. Make it a condition that you let it back in only after treatment. This may seem extreme, but it is this extreme that often helps the addict to get off the curve. Finding himself on the street in hunger and cold, the addict "regains his sight", begins to realize where he has slipped and look for a way out.
Don't lie, don't cover up, don't make excuses for acquaintances, employers or drug addict teachers. He must be responsible for his own life. By covering absenteeism and punctures, you extend the path of the addict to the bottom. And a sincere decision to be treated, as a rule, appears on this very day.
See a psychotherapist or narcologist. The specialist will advise you, answer your questions, tell you how best to act in your case. A psychotherapist will help you stop looking for the wrong and get rid of the codependency, which often suffers from relatives of drug addicts. After a loved one wants to be treated, change "anger to mercy", provide him with support, but be vigilant.
Help me choose a place for treatment and rehabilitation. The addict himself cannot cope with this task. If you do not have money for paid treatment, contact a free drug treatment. They are not registered there the first time, and assistance will be provided about the same as in private clinics.
Treatment consists of a medical part (withdrawal of withdrawal symptoms, cleansing of the body) and psychotherapeutic rehabilitation, which takes place when the patient already lives at home. The second part of the treatment is especially important and lengthy. We can say that the addict needs rehabilitation throughout his entire subsequent life.
It is now that your loved one needs you more than ever. But your goal is not to spy on and look for traces of repeated drug use or intimidation. You need to “forget” about drugs. Do not remind about them, do not prod a person with his recent past.
The addict will learn to live anew, look for goals and support, learn to find strength to overcome difficulties, relieve stress, spend time and enjoy life without drugs. Become a good friend to him. Treat with respect, try to interest you in something fun and useful, keep busy.
Very often relapses occur after treatment. In such cases, you will have to start all over again. It is very difficult to bear, but try not to lose heart. I would also like to briefly write about what not to do, although such thoughts occur to many parents of drug addicts.
So: do not move and do not send a drug addict to the village, do not send him to the army, do not put him in jail. These "brilliant ideas" have a simple logic - to distance their "blood" from the drug, to hide it away. But, alas, these days you can get a drug anywhere, especially in the army or in prison. You can think about moving after treatment.
A change of scenery and the lack of reminders and "coigolniks" can have a positive effect on rehabilitation. The goal of drug addiction treatment is long-term remission. There is no way to get rid of drug addiction forever. But if a drug addict has a desire to recover, and there are literate specialists and loving people nearby, then there are chances.
