The most powerful tool is the truth. Mincing words or walking on eggshells are common mistakes 'affected others' make. Simple, direct, and clear communication gives us our best chance to be heard.
Six effective ways to help a treatment-ready heroin user that you love make positive changes - what to do and how to help.
Recovery brings a lot of changes and upheaval. Couples can grow and thrive throughout recovery by being mindful, establishing boundaries and expressing needs.
What do you do when the person you love gets consumed by a disease (addiction) that's beyond your control? How do we know when it's time to leave and how do you manage to adjust to life without your ...
Learn how setting personal boundaries and demanding accountability works better than trying to manipulate behavioral change.
Being trapped is most often a state of mind. Are you looking for answers that you know deep down don’t exist? The simple truth is hard to hear.
The needs of siblings of active addicts and alcoholics are often overlooked. This is especially true when siblings are adolescents and young adults. Supporting the needs of all family members ...
Supporting those who keep going back out: how to maintain hope and effectively cope when a loved one just can't seem to stay sober.
When thinking about marrying a person in early recovery, how can you know that recovery will last? Short answer is - you can't! But you can learn to accept your powerlessness over the situation, make ...
When adult children battle addiction, how do you support your grandchildren without enabling their parents? Read on for the do's and dont's.
Supporting recovery - you're probably unsure about what's helpful and appropriate. The list below may surprise you. Here's how you can help.
Moving past guilt and powerlessness as we wait for adult children to find recovery.
You have to let them face their natural consequences, but does that mean there's nothing you can do to help? Fortunately, you CAN support without enabling and your assistance today can make a big ...
In the midst of active addiction and early recovery, the impact of the disease upon children is often underestimated. Thinking about how children are negatively affected gives us insight into how to ...
Your partner's in recovery... now what? Tips on rebuilding a relationship while making your own needs a priority: building trust - one day at a time, setting measurable goals to work toward, taking ...
As difficult as it is to love someone in the spiral of addiction, adjusting to life with a person in recovery is no small task either. Many of us found we lost ourselves while loving an ...
Why do older people become addicts? What drugs are they likely to abuse? What to do if you suspect your beloved senior citizen relative is using drugs.
Do you worry about a loved-one’s drinking? Are you curious about AL Anon but not sure if it’s a good fit for you? Read on to learn a bit more about the benefits of Al Anon family meetings and ...
Addiction is a chronic disease with periods of active use and remission; and it’s also a personal disease which has whole family repercussions. If a person you love struggles with addiction, it is ...
Although many addicts who hit rock bottom and endure financial ruin, the dissolution of family and the end of careers, do ultimately seek out help...there is no need to wait for addiction to progress ...
Inside (23 articles)
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Jim Nix
Six effective ways to help a treatment-ready heroin user that you love make positive changes - what to do and how to help.
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Ed Yourdon
Recovery brings a lot of changes and upheaval. Couples can grow and thrive throughout recovery by being mindful, establishing boundaries and expressing needs.
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Merlijen Hoek
What do you do when the person you love gets consumed by a disease (addiction) that's beyond your control? How do we know when it's time to leave and how do you manage to adjust to life without your actively addicted partner?
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Luke Hayfield Photography
Learn how setting personal boundaries and demanding accountability works better than trying to manipulate behavioral change.
Being trapped is most often a state of mind. Are you looking for answers that you know deep down don’t exist? The simple truth is hard to hear.
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Adwriter
The needs of siblings of active addicts and alcoholics are often overlooked. This is especially true when siblings are adolescents and young adults. Supporting the needs of all family members individually is the key to maintaining a healthy family unit.
Supporting those who keep going back out: how to maintain hope and effectively cope when a loved one just can't seem to stay sober.
When thinking about marrying a person in early recovery, how can you know that recovery will last? Short answer is - you can't! But you can learn to accept your powerlessness over the situation, make your own life manageable and set healthy boundaries.
When adult children battle addiction, how do you support your grandchildren without enabling their parents? Read on for the do's and dont's.
Supporting recovery - you're probably unsure about what's helpful and appropriate. The list below may surprise you. Here's how you can help.
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Alon
Moving past guilt and powerlessness as we wait for adult children to find recovery.
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Haylee Barsky
You have to let them face their natural consequences, but does that mean there's nothing you can do to help? Fortunately, you CAN support without enabling and your assistance today can make a big difference for their tomorrow.
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Julio N
In the midst of active addiction and early recovery, the impact of the disease upon children is often underestimated. Thinking about how children are negatively affected gives us insight into how to support them.
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banlon1964
Your partner's in recovery... now what? Tips on rebuilding a relationship while making your own needs a priority: building trust - one day at a time, setting measurable goals to work toward, taking care of yourself... rather than your partner.
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Nromagna
As difficult as it is to love someone in the spiral of addiction, adjusting to life with a person in recovery is no small task either. Many of us found we lost ourselves while loving an addict/alcoholic. Now we start our own journey - one in which we focus on self.
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Stuck in Customs
Do you worry about a loved-one’s drinking? Are you curious about AL Anon but not sure if it’s a good fit for you? Read on to learn a bit more about the benefits of Al Anon family meetings and find a selection of quotes that really encapsulate the wisdom of this 12 step program.
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Yelnoc
Addiction is a chronic disease with periods of active use and remission; and it’s also a personal disease which has whole family repercussions. If a person you love struggles with addiction, it is likely that you will experience periods in life during which your loved one struggles with alcohol or drug use. Here are 12 tips for keeping your family life as healthy and happy as possible during these times of use.
Six or more yes answers in the following quiz indicates that your mom or dad is an alcoholic.
Intoxication leads to a great deal of family violence... violence against children, spouses and the elderly. Find out what you can and can't do to help, and learn how to stay safe.
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Zzilch
You're no good to anyone if you break down. You need to get support, get educated and learn what you can do, and what you can never change. Al-Anon can help.
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Toni Blay
Although there are few things more painful than watching a loved one fall ever deeper into addiction and abuse, there is always hope, families can influence change, and people do beat addictions every day!
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Rogatien
Although many addicts who hit rock bottom and endure financial ruin, the dissolution of family and the end of careers, do ultimately seek out help...there is no need to wait for addiction to progress as far as this. No one needs to hit rock bottom and the earlier intervention and treatment ensues, the better the ultimate prognosis.
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LeoTM
Enabling refers to any behaviors on your part that make it easier for the addict or alcoholic to continue abusing without facing the true consequences of their drinking or drug usage. It's easy and natural to enable, and we do it because we care and want to protect our loved ones; but to really offer love and care, the best thing anyone can do is to stop all enabling behaviors, and let the addict face the consequences of their own behaviors. It's tough to do, but it's one of the best ways to help someone you love who abuses drugs or alcohol.