If there is an addict in your life has probably become stressful, unstable and chaotic. When something that is means as a treatment becomes the means of a disease, lives can be destroyed. It doesn’t matter which prescription drug your loved one has become addicted to; life is turned head over heals. Too often, it is not only the addict, but the loved one’s whose lives are destroyed by the addiction.
Continue to encourage the addict to get help. Even though this may seem futile, keep suggesting it. The other thing you must do is remain positive and the only way you can do that is to put yourself first. When someone we love becomes an addict, we tend to put all of our time and energy into helping that person. If something happens to you, who will take care of the addict? Keeping yourself healthy, both physically and mentally is the best thing you can do. When you start taking care of yourself, it forces the addict to begin to take care of themselves. Get psychological counseling for yourself. Living with or caring about an addict takes its toll on everyone.
If you take care of yourself and your needs, you are able to remain positive about the addict getting help. They may not like it because they would rather you enable them but that is the last thing you want to do. Do not put up with violent or abusive behavior in any way, shape or form. If you live with the addict and they become abusive, contact authorities. If you do not live with the addict and they become abusive, discontinue contact with them.
Try not to engage in blaming games with the addict. They are the addict and they are the one that needs to get help for that addiction. If there are intervention programs in your area, you may want to try those. They are very effective and most addicts who are engaged in an intervention program end up getting help.
Contact the doctor that prescribed the medication and let them know what has happened. This puts yet another obstacle into the drug addict’s path. Hopefully, they begin to run out of options (as well as codependents) and start considering getting help. Sometimes this can take a while but “tough love” really does work.
Nick Hayes is a graduate of the Narconon drug rehab program in 2005. Nick takes much enjoyment in writing, and feels there needs to be more information about drugs and alcohol provided to the people of the world. He believes nobody should have to go through an addiction.