CanAm

Connecting people worldwide.

 Contact : 1-800-638-1812 or Text:  415- 827-3725

Family healing starts with asking for help.

Understanding Addiction in the Family

What are the signs that a family is struggling with substance abuse? *(affects the whole family).

  • Being secretive or evasive.
  • Lying frequently
  • Mood swings
  • Major changes in sleep of energy levels
  • Fluctuations in weight
  • Attitude and appearance changes
  • Loss of interest in things they used to enjoy.
  • Failing to meet obligations.
  • Loss of memory
  • Stealing

If a family cannot or is unable to guide their loved one into treatment on their own, how can clinicians start the process of connecting families with an interventionist?

 Do’s

  • Provide education to the family about what interventions are utilized for, and how an intervention might specifically benefit this family.
  • Reach out to the interventionist you would like to facilitate this intervention and consult with them about the family.
  • Confirm with the interventionist how they would like to make first contact with the family.
  • Provide the family with the contact information for the interventionist if indicated.
  • Continue meeting with the family members as needed to provide support before and after the intervention process.

Don’t

  • Encourage family members to find different ways of pressuring the loved one into treatment if they aren’t already willing to go.
  • Encourage family members to wait until their loved one “hits rock bottom.”

Codependency vs. empathy

What is Codependency? is a behavioral condition in a relationship where one person enables another person’s addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-achievement. Among the core characteristics of codependency is an excessive reliance on other people for approval and a sense of identity.

If you have reached out to a friend or loved one who suffers from addiction and have experienced negative consequences because of doing nearly all you can to help that person, you may be involved in a codependent relationship with them.

Constantly saving a person with an addiction from the trouble they cause themselves, or solving these problems for them, seems like a supportive, helpful measure, but it in fact impedes their psychological growth and emotional development while simultaneously causing you emotional turmoil.

Codependency relationship is a unhealth alliance where one person assumes the role of “the giver,” sacrificing their own needs and well-being for the sake of the other, “the taker.” Empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.

 Am I starting to feel taken advantage of and resentful about the sacrifices I’ve made for this person? or are you are able to instantly envision yourself going through that same experience and feel what they are going through. 

Healthy relationships are mutually beneficial, providing love and support to both parties. Codependent relationships, on the other hand, are one-sided, casting one person in the role of constant caregiver. 

  • Despite my sacrifices and best efforts to love and support them, does their immaturity, addiction, poor mental or physical health, incompetence, or irresponsibility remain largely unchanged? 

 Codependency is a behavioral condition in a relationship where one person enables another person’s addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-achievement. Among the core characteristics of codependency is an excessive reliance on other people for approval and a sense of identity.

Enabling vs. empowerment

 

What is Enabling Behaviors? Enabling behavior is born out of our instinct for love. It’s only natural to want to help someone we love, but when it comes to certain problems, helping can create negative outcomes. It is best to access professional help. 

 Enabling behavior means something positive. It is our natural instinct to reach out and help someone we love when they are down or having problems. However, when we apply it to certain problems in living – addiction, chronic financial trouble, codependency, certain forms of chronic depression – enabling behaviors have the reverse effect of what is intended.

Enabling behaviors seemed like helping someone by empowering individuals, or a negative sense of encouraging unhealth behavior. Empowerment means lending a hand, you give them the power to make their own choices and solve problems.

  • Do you consistently put your own needs and desires aside in order to help someone else?
  • Do you have trouble expressing your own emotions?
  • Do you ever feel fearful that not doing something will cause a blowup, make the person leave you, or even result in violence?
  • Do you ever lie to cover for someone else’s mistakes?

Enabling behavior is born out of our instinct for love. It’s only natural to want to help someone we love, but when it comes to certain problems, helping can create negative outcomes. If these questions make you think you might be an enabler, it is important that you take action

Contact us:

415-578-2875 Office 1-800-638-1812 Toll Free Internationally 415-827-3725 Cell /Text

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