How do I know if I can trust what my loved one says?
You don’t know if you can trust what your loved one says. What I always suggest family members do is to trust actions, not words. If your loved one is asking you trust their words, you can respectfully respond to what they ask with, “I hope you do, I really do, but...
Doesn’t my loved one have to hit rock bottom before they will accept treatment?
No. The idea of ‘rock bottom’ is bandied about in our culture, but it’s actually a myth, and a dangerous one. It comes from back in the early days of AA when very little was known about addiction, let alone how to treat it. Back in those days, most people who...
My loved one’s behavior has ruined my credit / made our home unsafe / made us lose our house. How do I fix these problems I didn’t cause?
One of the most unfair things about a loved one’s addiction is that family members often end up paying a very high price, a price beyond the emotional pain of your loved one’s behavior. When it comes to your safety, and your finances, and your mortgage, you may need...
I think my loved one is in denial. What do I do?
If you have already shared your feelings about your loved one’s alcohol or drug use, then boundaries, allowing natural consequences to occur, and self-care are going to be essential to you. Often these things communicate more effectively than any words you could use....
What if my loved one refuses to seek help?
If your loved one refuses to seek help, it will be all the more important for you to seek support and to give thought to any boundaries you will need to set around your loved one’s use to take care of yourself.
This is a heartbreaking scenario, but it happens.
Addiction is a very challenging disease for everyone involved. You will still need to do all the things that ensure that your addicted loved one does not control everything in your life and to build a life outside of this issue to the best of your ability.
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