Consider your favorite meal and pretend you couldn’t survive without it for a single day. It’s as though you have to eat it every hour, and you’re afraid you’ll starve if you don’t. It seems absurd, doesn’t it? Well, that feeling that you just imagined is called addiction. Many people suffer from addiction, and they would feel as though they are dying if they can not get or achieve what they want.
Drug addiction remains the most prevalent addiction epidemic in society. You may not realize it, but you may meet someone who is now in drug rehab, trying to overcome their heroin problem. However, handling any addiction on your own is difficult.
It would be ideal if you had a good environment, a firm resolve, and, most importantly, support from other people. This is why you have to be there for someone you know who is recovering from his addiction. But how do you give your support to recovering addicts? To give you a head’s up, here are five ways on how you can give your support to your friend who is a recovering addict.
1.Talk to them if you have the time
Your support will often be enough to give your friend the encouragement and courage he needs to continue his recovery. By simply visiting him in the rehabilitation center that he is confined and talking to him normally, your friend will think that you still care for him and you are there to help him until he is fully rehabilitated.
2. Ask for updates
Another way of showing support to your friend who is a recovering addict is to ask for updates constantly. For example, you can go to the rehab center and question his psychiatrist or his coach on how well your friend is doing to know what other things you can do to help him.
However, I highly recommend asking your friend personally. You can plead for permission in the facility and ask him for updates. This will pass a message that you care for them, strengthening their dedication to getting rid of their addiction.
3. Don’t forget special occasions
Being isolated from society doesn’t mean that they don’t have the right to celebrate special occasions. However, to show support to your recovering friend, you must celebrate any special events with them.
This will remind your friend that he is not an outcast to society and that he still has a chance to live a normal life again after he recovers. If you keep updating them on the things happening outside, they will not feel like they are left behind and will have the courage to face them after the recovery. If you cannot celebrate the occasion on the same day, be sure to send a letter to them.
4. Tell them to trust themselves
It is okay to rely on others for support, but always remember that the decisions you make are all up to you at the end of the day. As stated in Wide World Life Coaching, “We are just having a conversation, no pressure coaching will help you connect to yourself and help you realize that you had the answers inside all along.”
Your support team may significantly impact your decisions, but you have to trust yourself to make the best choices to help you on your journey towards recovery.
5. Avoid Lecturing
Sometimes, we show our love to a particular person by lecturing them because it shows that we care for the person, right? Well, there might be some situations where that is appropriate, but never do that to someone who is a recovering addict.
Avoid reprimanding your friend because you don’t know the position that he is dealing with especially if they are still within the oxycodone withdrawal timeline and suffering from its symptoms. Instead, try to suggest what you want them to do in a calm and soft manner. Instead, try to suggest what you want them to do in a calm and soft manner.
Indeed, no man is an island. Each of us needs support no matter how hard we neglect to need one. Giving support to someone struggling with a problem is essential, especially to someone who is recovering from addiction.
