Drug addiction and substance abuse affect not only the addicted person themselves, but also their loved ones. Children, spouses, life-partners and parents all feel the impact of substance abuse.<\/p>\n
While drug addicts need professional medical care and compassion to help them overcome their addictions, family members also need support and counselling to help them cope.<\/p>\n
Denial and Enabling Doesn\u2019t Help Addicts<\/strong><\/p>\n Often, family members with the best of intentions can actually be doing more harm than good, without even realising it. Many addicts have close family members who are in denial about the problem, or who enable their addictive patterns by helping them to avoid the consequences.<\/p>\n Common unhealthy reactions to a loved one\u2019s addiction include:<\/p>\n While many people follow these behaviours because they believe they are helping or protecting the addict, they are unfortunately making the situation worse. The only way to truly help someone with an addiction is to face the facts and seek professional medical attention.<\/p>\n Advice for Family Members<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have a relative or even a close friend with a substance abuse problem, here are some ways you can help yourself, and in turn, help them.<\/p>\n\n