How to Support an Addict Who Has Relapsed

Helping a friend or loved one through the process of recovery after going through a drug addiction treatment center from an addiction can be difficult enough – watching as they relapse can be absolutely devastating. It can often make you feel like your efforts to help them were in vain. However, the road to recovery isn’t easy, and they will need you more than ever if they have relapsed. The following are a few important tips on how you should provide your support to a friend or family member that has relapsed:

• Hold them accountable – They should be held accountable for their relapse just like they were held accountable for their addiction in the first place. Don’t try to make them feel guilty, but hold them responsible for their own actions and allow them to feel guilty if that’s how they feel.
• Encourage them – They need to know that you haven’t given up on them because they have relapsed, so be sure you encourage them to get help. You can do this by redirecting them to their original addiction treatment plan from the drug addiction treatment center.
• Set an example – Don’t let their relapse affect your personal life. Take care of yourself, eat well, get plenty of sleep and make sure to exercise. These regular day-to-day activities can be interrupted by a friend or family member’s relapse, especially if you have feelings of guilt that you weren’t able to do more. However, living a healthy life can help set an example for the addict. In fact, invite them along if you go exercising as a way to continue showing your support.
• Be optimistic – Make sure that you show them that you believe that they can recover from their relapse. This will encourage them to make a stronger attempt to recover.
• Don’t push too hard – While you want to encourage them to seek treatment and you want to help guide them in the right direction – don’t hold their hand throughout the entire process. They are the ones that are going to have to take the final steps towards getting better – pushing them too hard won’t help.
• Don’t get discouraged – Think of addiction as a chronic illness. A chronic illness typically requires more than one round of therapy. Relapse doesn’t necessarily mean that the treatment wasn’t effective. It could just mean that they need more treatment.

Watching a friend or family member relapse can be difficult. Use these tips to help them recover from their relapse. Communicating with the drug addiction treatment center and tapping into their resources will also be a great benefit to you. If you need further help or direction with how to support an addict who has relapsed, contact us today!

We work with the best and most trusted drug addiction treatment centers in Philadelphia PA, Florida, California and more. We’re here to help you get the best treatment available for you or a loved one.