Addiction is a chronic disease. It cannot be cured with pharmacological agents. To start living sobriety, you need a change of mind. It can be achieved through psychotherapy. Its most effective form is group psychotherapy. The addicted person usually does not pay attention to the suggestions of the closest environment, friends or even family. Psychological mechanisms make it difficult to truly perceive yourself and the reality around you. Only when he is confronted with similar people does he begin to notice the problem.
Am I addicted?
It is difficult for people who live with an addict to admit that their spouse, parent or child is alcoholic. This is often treated as a failure. The basic step to helping an addicted person is to let go of the shame and not hide the effects of the addict – especially when there is violence. Then it is best to react immediately, contacting the police to set up the so-called Blue Card in which aggressive behavior is documented. It also provides protection to the injured person and gives them a greater opportunity to obtain help. It is worth emphasizing that it is not the family, but people who are aggressive, are perceived badly by society due to their pathological behavior.
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How to treat an addicted person?
It is important to treat the addicted person with respect. This means behavior as for other equals. Alcoholics and drug addicts are adults. The decisions they make are informed. Therefore, they should not be treated as children who need constant support or help. If the addicted person has the so-called hangover, she should deal with its effects on her own. If she wants to get another beer, let her arrange it for herself. If he lies on the floor under the influence of psychoactive substances, let him wake up there. The point is for the addicted person to notice the effects of their actions. Only then is she able to reflect on what her drinking or taking other psychoactive substances is really driving her to.
Often people living with addicted partners count on a return to the “old times”. This happens every now and then. These are the so-called honeymoon. Relationships improve, the partner stops drinking alcohol or taking drugs, apologizes for his behavior, and promises improvement. Certain signals reach his consciousness, for which he feels guilty. However, it does not last long. Alcohol, drugs, gambling and other disorders are becoming the most important again. Pathological and aggressive behavior keep coming back. This is a typical pattern. Therefore, you should not expect an improvement in your relationships, but rather you should expect them to worsen. Addiction is a progressive disease that degrades a person and leads to the very “bottom”.
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My partner is addicted. How to help an addicted person?
It happens that partners of addicts try to prevent drinking or taking. They try to pour out alcohol, add water to it, throw away bottles or tubes, or hide psychoactive substances. However, it is not effective. Most often it provokes an addict to a quarrel or violence.
It is also a mistake to consume psychoactive substances together. Rather, it works against the intended (so that the addicted person takes less) – it indicates consent and often becomes a counter-argument on the principle “you drink / take it too”. Remember not to get into arguments that the addict starts under the influence of the drug. Most often, he does not remember these “conversations” and reacts with aggression, which may be dangerous for the family.
Most often, addicts decide to undergo treatment when their partners or parents make firm decisions – abandonment, separation, divorce or expulsion from home. Financial support and caring behaviors, including a sense of security and stability, are ending. The addicted person “opens his eyes” through loss and begins to confront reality. The feeling of loneliness very often leads an addicted person to make a decision about treatment. Initially, she does it for her partner, family. Only later does it for himself, wanting to change his life.
