Tips For Talking To A Friend About Heroin Addiction
Heroin Addiction Help
We all have people in our lives that we care about deeply and would do anything in our power to support them and keep them from harm’s way. When you witness a friend get trapped by the grasp of a heroin addiction it is nothing short of heartbreaking. As you watch your loved one’s life become taken over by the devastating effects of heroin, it is easy to feel helpless in how you help your loved one leave a life of addiction due to the complexity of the nature of heroin addiction. Supporting someone through addiction is often a new experience for many and it is hard to know what to say or the right way to react and respond to provide your friend with the support that they need. While you want to be supportive, there are often fears around upsetting your loved ones and unintentionally pushing them away in their greatest time of need. Although you have reservations about confronting your concerns head-on, it is crucial for your friend to know that they have your support regardless of the severity of their addiction.
It is common for many individuals living with an active addiction to distance themselves from their friends and family due to the feelings of shame and guilt that are often associated with heroin addiction. The act of pushing others away will appear as though they do not want your support, it is typically your friend trying to push the boundaries of the friendship by testing to see if you will stick by them through thick and thin. At a time when your loved one is at their most vulnerable and feeling as though they have no one to turn to, the best way to help is to demonstrate and vocalize that you are here to walk through this journey side by side and offer any emotional support as well as options for heroin rehab. Your friend is in a place where they need your unwavering support, more than ever. If you are concerned about a loved one or friend, don’t hesitate to offer your support. Let them know that you are there and provide options for how you can give the love and support they need to move towards a life in sobriety.
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Signs Someone Is Addicted To Heroin
As heroin begins to take over someone’s life it quickly becomes the center of their world and all aspects of their life begin to become affected. When you are in the thick of an addiction, it is easy to lose sight of how your addiction has begun to impact your life or, for some, you recognize the negative consequences of your addiction but are unable to find a way out on your own. As an outsider looking in, you want to know that your loved one is okay and know when it is time for you to offer your support and guidance to assist them in getting the proper help of heroin rehab. If you are concerned about someone you love having an addiction to heroin, it is important to remember these signs and indicators so that you are aware of when it is time to intervene and encourage your friend to get the addiction therapy support of heroin rehab.
Individuals will exhibit some or all of these signs and symptoms when they are combating a heroin addiction are:
- Lying about or hiding heroin use from others
- Talking about wanting to stop their heroin use but experience failed attempts or unable to do so even when the desire is there
- A person’s daily routine becomes entrenched in thinking about using heroin, obtaining or finding sources of heroin, and actually physically using heroin
- Having to use more heroin in order to reach the same desired effect
- Losing interest in hobbies or activities that once brought the person joy
- Change in social circles to one that is centered around substance use
- Continued use of heroin even when it is causing physical harm or the individual is experiencing negative physical health consequences
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms once the use of heroin stops and, for some, experiencing an overdose from use
- Difficulty maintaining work, school, or family commitments and responsibilities due to heroin use
- Experiencing financial difficulties such as loss of income, borrowing or stealing money to fund substance use
- Loss of connection with friends and loved ones or isolation from others
- Engaging in high risk behaviors while under the influence
Talking To A Friend About Heroin Addiction
Before you approach your friend to discuss your concerns around their heroin addiction, it is important for you to remember that your friend has an important voice in this and that their opinion and feelings are being heard and validated. Living with an addiction can create feelings of shame as there is a social stigma and judgment placed on those living with addiction within society. Approaching your friend from a place of empathy while respecting their need for dignity and respect to discuss their heroin use from their perspective and yours will create a safe space for the two of you to talk about how you can support your friend to treat their addiction.
During your conversation, it may be helpful for your friend to hear some examples of how you have seen addiction impact their life. Bring forward examples of how you have seen them experience negative consequences from their addiction such as not attending work on a regular basis or a loss of connection within your own relationship when you both used to be so close and talk every day. Painting a picture of where you have witnessed addiction harm their life can allow your friend to visualize and conceptualize the impact that addiction is having within their own life when they may not have been able to do that on their own.
Speak To Your Friend When They Are Sober
You have valid concerns about your friend and have begun to recognize that their life has become severely impacted by their heroin use. The first important step that you need to take to support your friend is having an open and honest conversation about your concerns. If possible, it is important to have this conversation when your friend is sober so that you are able to have a safe, honest conversation without the influences of drugs deterring your conversation. This will allow your friend to be of sound mind to hear your concerns and voice their opinions as well. Before speaking with your friend about their addiction, plan ahead and tell your friend that it is important you can have a conversation while they are sober. Schedule a time that will work for your friend when they believe that they will be able to be sober and present to engage fully in the conversation that you are wanting to have.
Encourage Drug Rehab Treatment
Most individuals that are living with an active addiction to heroin already know the high risks associated with their drug use so hearing it from a friend will only produce further feelings of anxiety or shame. When you are speaking with your friend, it is important that you come from a place of caring and come equipped with some solutions or resources to inform your friend that you are prepared to help get them the support they need should they wish to take it.
This is a great opportunity for you to gain an understanding of what your friend needs from a treatment center and address any fears or reservations that they may about getting help. Once you gather this information, you can offer to help look up additional resources or treatment centers that can address their concerns and provide them with the level of care that they are seeking.
Offer Full Support
Addiction is a lonely place to be and your friend needs to know the level of support that they can expect from you. It is important for you to set your own boundaries about how you will support your friend and that you are not willing to sit back and watch as your friend uses drugs in front of you. Setting your boundaries demonstrates to your friend that you care and want to do what you can to help them accomplish their goals of sobriety and that you will not partake in any activities that do not serve the purpose of getting them help. When you are offering your support, a beneficial way of expressing your concerns and love for your friend should be communicated through “I” statements and reflecting back on what your friend’s addiction has made you feel or how it has impacted you and your friendship. Coming from a place of vulnerability and openness will assist your friend in understanding the direct impact their addiction has had on you and others around them.
Recovery from addiction is more than just attending a heroin rehab program. While this is the first important step to getting the help they need to get sober, changing your life to one in recovery is a long-term commitment that will have its ups and downs even when someone is sober. Your friend will need and want to know that your support will continue even after they complete their heroin rehab program.
Get Help For Drug Addiction at Resurgence
Resurgence Behavioral Health provides patients with an opportunity to heal from addiction within a supportive, caring environment within our facility that gives patients access to licensed counselors and a medical team that will support patients in safely detoxing from heroin. We view addiction as a multifaceted disease that requires a personalized approach for each patient. Addiction is derived from emotions and traumas that have not been addressed or processed and have impacted someone’s ability to cope with negative situations, emotions, and thoughts. Resurgence provides patients with a comprehensive combination of evidence-based therapy models that will assist patients in healing from their addiction within their body, mind, and soul.
Contact Resurgence today if you are concerned about a loved one’s use of heroin and discover the many effective treatment methods that we offer all patients to safely and comfortably move away from a life of addiction and move into a newfound life in sobriety.
Learn about tips for talking to a fried about heroin addiction and how you can get help at Resurgence! #heroinaddictionhttps://t.co/1l9s4twSp6
— Resurgence Behavioral Health (@RBHRecovery) February 14, 2022
Addiction Treatment that
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Individualized treatment programs delivered in a comfortable, relaxed setting promote healing in your recovery journey.
