How to Talk to a Loved One
About Addiction
It is important to be open and communicative about addiction with your loved one. Sometimes this can be difficult if you are unsure on how they are going to act, respond or deal with it. This shouldn’t stop you though. The first step for maintaining your relationship and perhaps helping the person through addiction is to be able to talk about it.
You should make sure that you are in a safe comfortable environment for both of you and that you have enough time and limited distractions to allow you to truly have the whole conversation. It could be tough during parts and you don’t want to be called away and leave something like this unfinished.
Next you should be open and honest but without being accusative or judgemental. This is important because you don’t want them to go on the defensive, but rather you want to open them up to be willing to share too. Share your feelings, what has been happening and how you feel affected by the situation.
Sometimes the person won’t fully have faced how bad their drug habit or drinking has gotten, so it is good to be able to draw some comparisons, maybe compare the quantity of drugs or alcohol taken or the fact that ‘now they drink in the morning’ for example. You can show how behaviours may have changed or goals or purposes have gone by the wayside.
You will have to analyse what particularly has changed and what may be real to them about the changes as a first step for them to be able to see that there is a situation. Don’t be put off if you don’t achieve something major, just having the conversation is an excellent first step.
