Watching a friend struggle with an addiction is always difficult. There’s no easy solution to this problem, but there are a few options for you to consider.
How to Help A Friend with An Addiction?
1. An Intervention
An intervention is when you get together with all the friends and family members of the addict and confront them together. This often acts as a wake-up call to them because they are presented by the fact that so many people close to them are concerned about their behaviour. Obviously, you need to contact their family and other friends and hope that they’re willing to take part in this. It’s not something you can do alone.
This kind of intervention is essential if the addict is so deep in their addiction that they’re not able to make decisions by themselves. When this happens, they need as many people close to them as possible to help and get them the professional help they clearly need. Don’t aggressive or too judgemental about it when it happens. Just tell them what impact their addiction is having on them and those around them.
2. The Soft Approach
A soft approach can sometimes work depending on the personality of your friend. Everyone responds differently to different kinds of help. Being confrontational and argumentative might push some people further into addiction and away from you. And that’s not what you want to achieve. For these kinds of people, you have to take a slightly softer and more congenial approach to the subject. This means approach the subject carefully and being much more caring and understanding.
Don’t try to discuss things with them when they’ve been drinking or taking drugs though. They won’t be in a fit state to agree to change or realise the error of their ways unless they’re completely sober. So, once they wake up the next morning, and they’re sober again, try to persuade them to get addiction help from a professional. Let them know how concerned you are about them and that you only want to help them.
3. Try to Present the Facts to Them
Sometimes, the best ways to help an alcoholic or drug addict are the honest ways. If they see the truth for what it is, they might be shocked into making a change to what they’re doing. Of course, this isn’t guaranteed to work, but it’s certainly worth a try if you’re struggling with ideas to help your friend. So, what do I means by presenting the facts to them? When I say this, I mean that you should avoid opinions or moral judgements and just offer up facts.
This is why this kind of approach is so different to an intervention. So, tell them what the drugs or alcohol they’re taking is doing to their body. You can’t show them real life examples of what can happen to addicts like them. Or you could tell them about every possible thing that could go wrong as a result of their substance abuse. This should give them a shock, and that’s exactly what they need.