If you know someone who does drugs, you run the risk of enabling them. You may be enabling them directly or indirectly. You may be helping them get drugs or providing them with what they need to continue their lifestyle.
It is challenging to have a relationship with a drug addict without enabling them in some form. But doing so will reinforce the habit and make it worse. This article will discuss what enabling a drug addict is and how to avoid it.
What Does it Mean to Enable a Drug Addict?
Enabling drug addiction involves giving an addict support that fuels their addiction. Obvious signs of drug enabling include giving a person a lift to get drugs or giving a person money to buy drugs. But there are other ways to enable a person that may not seem as obvious.
For example, if you are giving an addict a place to stay, you are providing a location for them to do drugs. If you are turning a blind eye when they are using in your home, you are giving them the signal that what they are doing is okay with you. Helping a person with any task they can’t do because they are too high can also be considered enabling.
How to Avoid Enabling an Addict
It’s easy to fall into the trap of enabling an addict, but there are steps you can take to prevent drug enabling. These include the following:
Don’t Take Over Responsibilities:
- Don’t take over responsibilities that the addict can do themselves when they are sober.
- Don’t give them rides because they are drunk or have lost their license.
- Don’t help them get dressed.
- Don’t assist them with household chores. If they can do these tasks sober, they will need to sober up and get them done.
Don’t Loan Them Money: Any money you loan to addicts is likely to go to buying drugs. Lending money should be off the table.
Don’t Rescue Them from Legal Trouble: If a person gets into legal trouble due to their addiction, it is not your responsibility to help. If they end up in jail, it may be just what they need to sober up.
Tips for Speaking to an Addict
Dealing with an addict is not easy. Any reaction you make or any steps you take to admonish them can be seen as a sign of enabling drug addiction. If you react, they may respond to your reactions which may be preferable to them having to deal with their own guilt. If you yell at them, they may take your words as a minor punishment for what they did and think it’s okay to call it even.
So how do you deal with an addict? If you want them to get help, it’s important to talk to them in a non-judgmental manner. Don’t put them down. Make them feel cared for. Kindly let them know how their addiction is affecting you and tell them that you want them to get better.
If you have talked to an addict countless times and you’re not getting anywhere, you may try cutting them off completely. Refuse to give them money and don’t allow them to live in your house. Refrain from social interactions.
Some feel these extreme reactions may cause the addict to go over the deep end but hitting rock bottom may cause them to have nowhere to turn, so they are forced to get the help they need.
How to Get a Loved One into a Drug Treatment
Getting a loved one into a Southern California drug treatment center is not easy. Trying to talk to them, interventions, and cutting them off completely are all methods that may be effective. But helping them find a facility that’s right for them could take some of the stress off their shoulders.
There are many facilities that offer addiction recovery, but Refine Recovery takes a unique approach. Refine Recovery is a luxury rehab facility in Beverly Hills. We offer customized world-class treatments and a highly trained staff. We use dual diagnosis therapy that simultaneously treats addiction and its underlying cause.
It’s not easy to deal with an addicted friend or family member. Refine Recovery can provide the care you need. Contact us today to find out more about what we have to offer.
