What To Avoid Saying To Someone Fighting An Addiction Problem
Besides helping the addict to recover, it is equally important to educate the ones suffering and coping alongside the patient. Here’s how.
Addiction is bad for anyone, but it’s even worse for the people who are innocent casualties.
Not saying the person suffering from addiction is the guilty party because their pain is beyond compare.
However, we rarely talk about the people who are helping their loved ones. It could be a dear friend, a parent, or a child.
They are suddenly fronted with this huge responsibility when they barely know about anything. This is why it is so important to educate these people as well. If they are constantly having trouble with someone, it is bound to affect their mental health as well.
These family members and friends are also getting confronted with a lot of hostile behavior, and as expected, they are scared.
Suppose you are here because you wish to better handle the situation. Or how to deal with someone who is fighting an addiction problem then.
All power to you because you are doing the right thing! Also, you have reached the right place.
In the excerpt below, we’ll be discussing the following:
- Why is it important to keep your patience when handling them?
- What are the things you should avoid when it comes to the addiction problem?
Why Should You Keep Your Patience In Front Of An Addiction Patient?
Yes, sometimes you would want to retaliate with hostility. You are not alone; this is a common feeling for almost everyone suffering alongside a patient of addiction.
However, returning hostility would not be the right thing to do. You have to first remember that your head is not in the right place, which is why they are acting out.
Deep down, they are equally terrified of what they are doing to themselves and how no one would understand them.
Isolating themselves is very common for anyone suffering from addiction, and if you do not have the patience to get them out of their cocoon because you are getting impatient, it is time to consult a professional.
This person needs recovery treatment, and you can try Gallus Detox to understand the different treatments available.
They might seem aggressive and selfish right now, but believe us, they need your help. But unfortunately, they are too scared to ask because of the judgment they might face.
Getting hostile with them will only solidify this fear every person suffering from addiction has. This is why you need to handle the situation with care, just like you would do with a fragile item.
They might feel even more hopeless when confronted with accusations and aggressive behavior. However, through your cool and composed nature, they will be able to get the right motivation needed.
Get rid of the idea that you can fix them, don’t be afraid to ask for the right help because they understand the addiction better than anyone.
Now, there are certain phrases and verses that you should absolutely avoid saying to a patient of addiction. Keep reading to know.
Things You Should Avoid Saying To Someone Battling Addiction (At All Cost)
These are some of the well-known phrases that you should avoid saying to someone who is battling addiction.
They are already battling through a lot, and your accusations are not what they would want right now.
1. ‘Addict’, ‘Junkie’, Etc
These are derogatory slangs that are thrown towards someone suffering within the painful clutches of addiction.
Nothing triggers isolation more than derogatory words for someone suffering from addiction.
They will either immediately close off and return to their cocoon in a state of depression or get manic and become hostile towards anyone in front of them.
2. ‘You Are Selfish’
This is the worst accusation that a patient can get, especially if it is someone going through the process of recovery and trying their best to embrace sobriety.
This will only make them more depressed and hopeless because they can very well witness what they are doing to their family & friends and how little they can help.
Always encourage their efforts, and empathize with their mental health because they need it.
3. ‘It Is Time To Try A New Treatment’
We understand you are desperate to try out anything new. However, you must also take their feelings into consideration because they are probably mentally exhausted from the previous treatment.
Yes, they relapsed or just have the urges, but you have to be the sensible one here and try and give them some time. This time between treatments is very important.
It is better to get them into therapy and let them learn what caused the relapse to trigger.
4. ‘No One Will Love You Anymore’
This is the worst thing you could say to someone suffering from drug addiction.
Yet, we see people derailing from their treatments, dropping out midway, or even relapsing because of the ‘fears’:
- Fear of being left out because nobody wants to talk to them;
- The fear of losing important people;
- Fear of not being accepted with their sobriety;
- The fear of being hated.
The last one can even lead them to a deep hole of depression and can make them consume even more substance than before.
This is like the epitome of not being accepted.
5. ‘You Shouldn’t Tell People About Your Problems’
The worst suggestion you can give to someone suffering from addiction is concealment. They should at least be allowed to talk to their loved ones, people who would understand their situation, if not everyone.
Concealing these facts will get them nowhere. Rather it will solidify their anticipation and anxiety of not being understood.
You Could Gain Nothing Through Hate And Accusation!
Patients do their best to conceal everything and not talk much about their problems because of the fear of hostility and getting accused by the people they love.
Yes, they should understand that their decisions hurt you. However, that hurt should induce motivation and not fear.
Fear makes them hopeless, and thus they run away from treatments because of this firm belief that it is not worth it.
Make it worthwhile for them!
