Tips to support your addicted loved one during treatment

When it comes to addiction, those who are addicted are not the only victims involved, their loved ones are likely to bear the brunt in one way or the other. This is one of the major reasons why families and friends need to be actively involved when their loved one is about to seek addiction help.

If you don’t know where to start as regards being a support system for your addicted loved one, there are some quintessential tips in this post to help you.

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Get educated on addiction and recovery

If you want to make it easier to support your addicted loved one when they want to become sober, you need to learn more about addiction and recovery.

One of the facts you will discover about addiction is that it is a powerful brain disease that disrupts the brain’s reward system. You will also get to discover why your loved one behaves in a certain way that others do not like.

Be patient with them

It is important to mention that the addiction recovery phase cannot be rushed. Hence, you have to be patient with your loved one. Rather than having unrealistic expectations when it comes to their recovery, be willing to walk through each stage of recovery with them, and keep cheering them on to keep pushing.

Listen to them

Be ready to lend a listening ear to your loved one anytime they want to talk. Some of them struggle with loneliness, and they may rarely never want to open up to anyone.

Therefore, anytime they want to talk to you about what they are experiencing, create time to hear them out. You can also ask important questions during the conversation to show them that you care about their situation.

Don’t blame them for their addiction

One of the mistakes that some people make is that they blame their addicted loved one for their addiction. Doing this will only make matters worse because the individual might get less interested in getting help, as they would keep using their condition to spite their family and friends.

How to Choose an Addiction Treatment Program

Getting the proper treatment program for yourself or a family member can be difficult. You want to ensure you get the best possible, so you scrutinize every option that you see. But beyond superficial scrutinize, there are some vital elements to look out for which help you choose a proper treatment program.

There are so many so-called addiction treatment centers today, with barely a few up to proper standards. So, do not be cajoled by advertisements, but look for some key features.

  • Licensing and Certification

For a treatment facility to operate, it has to be fully certified by the right authorities. So, where you find such a program or in-person, always look for their official certification and license to operate. If you do not find any certification from the right agencies, please do not use such a treatment center.

  • Qualified Professionals

Addiction treatment isn’t a task anyone can just work. There are qualified professionals for the job. These are people trained and learned in the act of avoiding adequate treatment to addicts.

Therefore, before you choose an addiction treatment, ensure that its staff members are fully certified and qualified.

  • Specialized Programs

Various addiction cases differ in circumstances and require a different treatment method. Therefore, you should go with a facility that has multi programs within their main program. This would make it possible for them to attend to various treatment needs.

  • Mental Health and Post Recovery Services

Most addictions are closely associated with mental health programs. Therefore, you have to choose a treatment program that offers mental health services to the patient.

The program also needs to have a good post-recovery service. Addiction treatment is a long journey, and even after treatment, the patient needs to be monitored to prevent relapse. So, choose a treatment program that offers post-treatment services.

Using these steps would you choose a proper treatment program. Addiction treatment isn’t a program you should take with levity, but something you should carefully consider before making a choice. As it could significantly shape the recovery process of an individual.

Signs That an Individual is Addicted to Substances

Often it is difficult to know in the early stage if an individual is addicted to substances like drugs or alcohol.

But as the addiction progresses there are signs which indicate that a person is addicted to substances. These signs may vary based on the individual’s personality and the specific situation, but some signs generally apply to all addicts.

Understanding the signs of addiction is important. It will help identify addicts quickly, which can speed up the search for help to bring about recovery in such individuals. Therefore, this article will highlight some signs which should tell you that a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol.

These signs include;

  • Weight Changes

One major sign of substance addiction is sudden weight loss. The constant intake of drugs or alcohol excessively affects the eating habit of an individual. He/she either begins to eat excessively, always longing for food, or he/she begins to skip meals for long periods.

This leads to abrupt weight gain or loss, altering their physical appearance. The chemicals and properties in the substances cause this change in eating habits. Although weight changes occur without addiction, any abrupt changes could be due to substance addiction.

  • Loss of Interest

The individual begins to lose interest in a lot of activities. Work, family, friends, school, things that previously excited such person no longer matter to them. This is because all their energy is channeled towards the consumption of such substances.

  • Uneasiness or Regular Absence

In the case of a working-class person, he/she begins to take a frequent absence from work for unknown reasons. Or he/she begins to be absent from work without informing anyone. For students, they begin to skip classes frequently has the chemicals from the drugs have altered their emotions and senses.

  • Sleep Habit Alteration

An individual can begin to sleep excessively or go long hours without due to addiction. The chemicals affect their hormones causes extreme fatigue or hyperactiveness. So, if you notice a change in the sleeping habit of a person it could be due to substance addiction.

  • Mood Swings

Frequently, such individual is thrown into different at once. This is because the chemicals from drugs or alcohol have affected their hormones causing a constant, unstable change in emotions. So, an addicted person experiences mood swings.

In summary, there are several signs to identify a person addicted to a substance, of which we have discussed a few. When treated in isolation these signs may not apply, but when considered collectively these signs indicate substance addiction.

Health complications of opiates use

Opiates are drugs that are also known as narcotics. They comprise profound pain relievers like tramadol, hydrocodone, oxycodone, tramadol and fentanyl. Also, the common drug, heroin, is an opioid.

Not all opioids are produced from the opium plant, some of them are synthetic. However, they all produce far-reaching effects.

Under normal circumstances, a doctor can prescribe opioids to reduce the pain you are feeling when you have had a surgery or an injury. As a matter of fact, opioids are most times recommended for chronic pain.

Opiates are abused when they are taken more frequently than they should. Someone who takes opiates more than the normal prescription. When there is a regular pattern of opiates abuse, it can cause a full-fledged addiction which is usually challenging to overcome if there is no medical assistance.

When opiates abuse is detected early, it is one proficient way to stop an addiction from springing up. It is important to know how to identify those who have opiates abuse problem, and there are some behavioral and physical warning signs that should be looked out for.

Common behavioral and physical signs:

  • Itchy skin
  • Impulsive actions
  • Withdrawal from social activities
  • Mood swings
  • Visiting several doctors to obtain more prescriptions

Once the opiates disorder has been confirmed, it is important to seek help as soon as possible.

The short-term side effects of opiates are dependent on the drug type, the volume of substance taken and the method of administration. There is no fixed time for how the effects of these drugs are because they can range from minutes to several hours.

Short-term side effects

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Constipation
  • Blurred vision
  • Weight loss
  • Hallucinations
  • Impaired judgment
  • Shallow and slowed breathing

The long-term effects of opioids abuse induces damaging effects to the vital organs of the body.

Below are the long-term side effects/long term complications of opiates

  • Depression
  • Insomnia
  • Damage to the liver
  • Damage to the vein
  • Chronic constipation

In addition to these listed long-term effects, there are other health complications of opiates use. And it is important to seek help as promptly as possible.

Importance of an alcohol rehab

A rehab is structured to provide the right tools and coping skills to people who are struggling with addiction. This means that for alcohol addiction, a rehab is all you need to get your life back on track.

There is a lot to gain from going to a rehab if you are addicted to alcohol. People who have been addicted in the past can testify to the fact that, it is very changing to overcome. However, the help that would be received at the rehabilitation would make the entire recovery phase quite easy.

A rehab comprises personalized treatment plans that help patients to understand their addiction problem. The patients would understand the root cause of their addiction and how they can help themselves get sober.

The main priority of a rehab is to assist patients to defeat their addiction problem, and there are other benefits attached to this too. Anyone who opts for alcohol rehab would be equipped with the necessary life skills that would help to build a happy, healthy and productive life.

At a rehab, there is a working structure in place that comes with quintessential treatment programs targeted at giving you a healthy life. It is crucial to mention that therapy is important to assist those in recovery in getting better, and understanding the emotional and mental triggers of their addiction.

This therapy is provided in the rehab, where the individual would learn various healthy coping mechanisms. The individual is assisted to see the flaws in his thoughts and behaviors that often lead to making the wrong decisions associated with alcohol misuse.

At the rehab, effective therapy is provided to reduce the person’s likeliness to relapse. And even if he does, the rehab still helps to get him back on track.  

It is important to mention that there is no specific pattern of treatment for an alcohol addict. The volume and pattern of treatment depends on the peculiarity of the individual’s addiction.