Professional interventionists can help create a psychologically and physically safe environment to convince a son or daughter to accept drug or alcohol treatment. Remember that addressing drug addiction is a complex and challenging process that requires patience, understanding, and perseverance. By taking proactive steps and offering support, you can help your son and his child navigate through this difficult time towards a healthier and more stable future.

Seek professional guidance

Don’t turn a blind eye to intolerable behaviors, including theft, disrespect and abuse, late-night phone calls, or failure to follow through on responsibilities. What one person does may be enabling while someone else does the exact same thing and it is not. The key is to honestly examine your own motives and whether or not the action is the most loving thing for the person being helped. If so, now is a good time to take a look at what areas you can lovingly support your addict by not helping them.

How to Help Adult Children with Addiction

Sometimes, trying to help a family member who is addicted to alcohol or drugs actually winds up doing the opposite. Seeking medical and professional help can help your child recover from their addiction. You should also know that different treatment options can cater to your child’s needs. It would be best if you confront your child with concern and support. It’s important to avoid using accusatory language and blaming them for their addiction. Regardless, helping an addicted child can be a stressful ordeal, but there are ways to help them.

As a parent, it is important to know that this is not https://appsychology.com/living-in-a-sober-house/ deliberate nor is it your fault. And by knowing the signs of enabling, you will be able to truly help yourself and your child. In the battle against addiction, the line between genuine support and enabling can be a challenging one to navigate.

• If your son says that he needs his painkillers to make it through his factory shift, you might agree with him since there seems to be logic behind his reasoning.
• By the way, he’s now at Duke University pursuing a double major in economics and international relations.
• For instance, you won’t give them money, lie for them, or let them bring risky friends in the house.
• Don’t clean up their messes; leave it up to them to explain why they can’t fulfill their obligations, uncomfortable as it may be.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment

• If you try to “save” your child every time he or she is in trouble, you may be making things worse in the long run.
• Enabling can be spending money on a person with an addiction or buying them things that allow them to spend more money on drugs.
• Parents often talk themselves into an “out of sight, out of mind” mindset, where as long as they don’t know how the money is spent, they can tell themselves that it isn’t for drugs.
• Detaching from your loved one may be one of the toughest things you’ll ever do, but it is a necessary step.
• Aside from taking the above suggestions, one of the most helpful things you can do is seek the guidance of a professional who is objective and has experience in this area.
• However, sometimes it takes longer, depending on which opioid was consumed.

After a couple of years, the child graduates but with no job prospects because they were too busy getting high or hungover. They continue to live at home until all resources are depleted, and Sober House Rules: A Comprehensive Overview then they simply move out with nothing except an addiction that is only growing stronger. Most families do not understand how serious addiction can be and the impacts it has on the family. By taking time to educate yourself about addiction, you can gain better insight into the struggle your loved one is facing. You may find yourself justifying your child’s problem through your lens, or accepting their justifications for their problem.

What Are The Ways To Prioritize Personal Well-Being With A Drug Addicted Son?

While this list is not exhaustive, these are many of the attributes that are directly linked to a parent enabling their son’s drug use. Boundaries give your child an expectation for how their behavior will be tolerated. If you tell your son that you won’t bail him out of jail, this tells him that he should make an effort to avoid getting arrested. However, if you show up to bail him out of jail, he learns that you were not serious about your first claim and that he doesn’t have to make an effort to stay out of jail.

• There is often a constant state of worry, as you fret about your child’s safety, health, and future.
• If your son asks for help paying for bills that they may have on their own, such as a cell phone or car insurance bill, offer to pay the bill directly rather than giving them the cash.
• Our treatment services are catered toward discovering and implementing solutions for sustained, long-term recovery.
• I have seen many sad stories in my office of families with children over age 21 (in one case, 44) who still are overly dependent on their parents.
• The longer that substance abuse continues, the more difficult it becomes to kick the habit.

You can call to connect with a knowledgeable admissions navigator, who can answer your questions, explain the options, and even verify your loved one’s insurance if you have their information. People want to help someone they know who’s struggling with an addiction problem. However, enabling a drug addict child allows them to continue doing drugs. Helping someone get over a drug problem looks very different than enabling. The biggest health problem affecting young people today is addiction. Addiction and substance abuse devastate teens and young adults in the most insidious ways.

Practicing appropriate self-care also allows you to model desirable behaviors for your child. Guidelines work best when they are developed in collaboration with your child. This way, all parties have a say regarding the consequences of their behaviors before the behavior is completed. Don’t isolate or try to hide what is going on with you or with your addicted daughter or son. Don’t use drugs or alcohol with them even if you think that you might be able to help control their usage or gain their trust.

Since it is concretely established, there will be no surprises later. You should aim to work with experts to make the process less stressful and painful for both you and your son. Don’t put off professional help, thinking that you will be able to fix them or support them through this alone. Don’t clean up their messes—whether literal or figurative in the midst of relationships or responsibilities. Enabling, by comparison, means providing someone with a means or opportunity or making something possible or easy for them.