Witnessing someone you care about struggling with a drug use problem may be highly upsetting and have a significant impact on your own mental and emotional well-being.
It’s easy for a drug addict to take over your life, whether they’re a close friend, spouse, parent, kid, or another family member.
It can cause you to feel guilty, fearful, angry, ashamed, frustrated, and sad. It can try patience, strain your bank account, and leave you with various emotions.
If you know someone struggling with a drug problem, you can access help for them via Gallus Detox. It is one of the best detox centers in the country, with a broad client base.
How To Recognize Addiction Problem In A Friend?
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People begin taking drugs for various reasons. Many people use drugs to cope with the emotional agony of mental health diseases. Some people may be aware they have a mental health problem but cannot discover healthier coping methods.
If you suspect one of your friends is struggling with an addiction problem; look for these symptoms:
Mood Swings
Your friend may become more secretive, lying about what he is doing, where he is going, and how much he is using. He may strike out if you try to talk to them about their drug usage.
Heavy drug users frequently lose interest in prior activities, experience a loss of energy, and become increasingly introverted. He may even disregard his personal hygiene and how he looks.
New Health Issues
Changes in sleep schedule, seeming weary or run-down, noticeable weight loss or increase, bloodshot eyes, and forgetfulness are all signs of new health conditions.
If your friend demonstrates nosebleeds, frequent sniffing, or tremors depending on the sort of substance he is taking; you can assume that he is under the influence of drugs.
Recurring Financial Problems
Your friend may incur credit card debt to fund their drug use, or even ask for loans, or ask to borrow money for no apparent reason.
He may even steal money or valuables to collect the cash to buy more narcotics. If you confront him, he likely won’t give you a constructive response.
10 Ways To Help A Friend Fighting Addiction Problem
You may be concerned about your friend’s whereabouts at any given time, his danger of overdosing, or the harm he is causing to his health, future, and home life. However, there are specific ways to help your friend battle this addiction problem. The ways are:
1: Listen
Even if you disagree with your friend, take the time to listen to what he has to say rather than arguing with him. The more your loved ones feel heard, the more they will regard you as someone they can confide in.
You don’t have to wait for your loved ones to reach rock bottom or publicly embarrass themselves before you let them speak up. The sooner an addiction is addressed, the better.
2: Express Your Concerns
Make it clear that you care about your friend and are concerned about his well-being. Provide concrete examples of your loved one’s drug-related issues that have caused you concern, and be open about your own sentiments.
Avoid lecturing, threatening, or bribing the individual. Getting angry or making emotional pleas will most likely increase the user’s guilt, so don’t do any of that.
3: Encourage Your Friend To Seek Help
While some individuals can quit drugs independently, the more support a person receives, the more likely they are to succeed. Offer to accompany your friend to a therapy session, doctor’s appointment, or peer support group meeting.
Provide him with information on how to handle drug issues, whether it’s by calling a helpline, speaking with a counselor, enrolling in a treatment program, or attending a group meeting.
4: Ensure They Address The Triggers
The issues that prompted your friend’s drug addiction in the first place will still remain even when he is sober. If he used drugs to self-medicate a mental health condition, he’d need to develop healthy ways to deal with these concerns.
To achieve long-term recovery, people must concurrently address their addiction and mental health condition. Once he learns to deal with the triggers, his chances of relapse will decrease.
5: Help Your Friend Plan For Cravings
Your friend may become defensive or aggressive, refusing to talk about his drug usage. Instead of fighting with them, return to the conversation later. Your friend will have to learn how to deal with drug cravings.
You can assist him in distracting himself with other activities or find new ways to resist the impulse. Eating a balanced diet is another plausible way to adjust cravings.
6: Motivate Him To Find New Interest
Quitting drugs might leave your friend with a lot of free time on his hands. Instead, encourage him to find interest in new activities that do not require narcotics but offer purpose to their lives to assist them in avoiding relapsing.
Consider volunteering, taking up a new sport or activity, enrolling in a class, or spending time in nature, such as hiking or camping. Help him choose an activity that does not provide a trigger.
7: Accept The Risks Of Relapse
Despite your best efforts and the best intentions of your loved one, you must know that rehabilitation frequently entails relapse. If this occurs, encourage the individual to recommit to being sober and support him while he attempts again.
You must be patient if you want him to come back. Each relapse is a chance for your friend to learn from his mistakes and chart a new course.
8: Talk About Boundaries
Discuss limits with your friend when both of you are calm and not under the effect of drugs. Outline clearly what conduct you will and will not allow, as well as the penalties if he violates your standards.
If you talk about these boundaries, your friend will know how serious you are about his recovery. In addition, it may give him new motivation to stick with the sober schedule.
9: Adjust Your Expectations
Everyone is unique. For one person, recovery may imply complete abstinence from narcotics. For another, it may mean reducing or abstaining from drugs.
Even if your friend regains stability in their life, being overly strict in your expectations can lead to disappointment and a sense of failure. In addition, it may take you multiple conversations for him to even admit he has a problem. So, don’t over expect.
10: Follow Up
Someone with an addiction will undoubtedly test any limitations you establish, so be prepared to follow up. If you fail to enforce the penalties you’ve set, your friend will realize that the consequences are meaningless.
If you don’t want him to realize that, make sure you punish him when needed. Faced with the negative repercussions of their actions, your friend will be encouraged to seek treatment.
Conclusion
We have enlisted several ways to help a friend battle a drug addiction problem. All of these strategies are extremely practical and doable.
Hence, if your friend struggles with such an issue, make sure you apply all these strategies to get that person back on track.
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