5 Step to Help Drug Abuser

This is a logical and very necessary first step. Before you can learn how best to help a struggling addict or alcoholic, you need to understand the nature of addiction. There are several models of addiction that attempt to describe what it is and why it affects people, but none of those models are entirely accurate. Many people have heard of the disease model, which does a fairly decent job of describing what we see in the real world. For example, even addicts or alcoholics who have stayed clean for several decades can relapse and be right back to their old level of consumption within a matter of days.

Also note that addiction can affect potentially anyone, including those who:

-Have no apparent genetic predisposition for addiction or alcoholism
-Have very little environmental risk
-Have no moral shortcomings or laziness about them

Even if you do not believe in the disease model, learning more about how it works is a necessary foundation in learning about how you can potentially help a struggling addict or alcoholic. If you want to know how to help alcoholics then you need to learn about the condition.

Step 1

Approach the situation in love. Like any sensitive issue, approaching someone who is addicted to drugs in love, rather than anger or other emotions, will most likely encourage better reception to your help. Intervening in the addiction of another person for the wrong reason may not only backfire, but it may also trigger the person to cope with the confrontation with using more drugs once the discussion is over.


Step 2

Provide options. When confronting a drug abuser, always have valid options to help the person get professional help. Saying that you are there for the person if he needs help is great, but if you have researched treatment options for immediate placement will provide a smooth transition from verbal intervention to the ultimate goal of treatment.

Step 3

Refuse to enable. The University of Pennsylvania Health System and the American Society of Addiction Medicine both define enabling as any action that intentionally, or unintentionally, facilitates or encourages the continued use of an addictive substance. Enabling can include anything from giving the addict a ride to get drugs or providing money so that addict can buy drugs (regardless of whether the money was stated to be used for that purpose or not). Counseling and support groups are available to help you break your enabling habits. For more information, contact your local units of organizations such as Families Anonymous or Nar-Anon (see links in Resources).

Step 4

Offer support through the entire process. One of the most important factors of helping a drug abuser enter treatment is supporting the addict through the entire process. It is one thing to get the addict into treatment; it is another to send letters, phone calls or even visit the treatment center (where and when allowed). Those who are addicted to drugs need your continued support to make it through the many walls and challenges that will face them on their way to sobriety.