How to Talk to Someone with Addiction: A Communication Guide for Families

It’s never easy watching a loved one struggle with addiction. You try to find the right words to connect and help them navigate through their struggles but everything feels like a battle. Supporting someone caught up in the cycle of addiction is like learning a new language. It’s confusing, frustrating, and can leave you feeling disconnected. This guide will walk you through some tips on how to cultivate meaningful conversations with a loved one battling addiction. 

The Disease of Addiction

First and foremost, addiction is a disease. The American Society of Addiction Medicine describes addiction as a brain disorder caused by outside factors such as genetics, a person's personal life experiences and various environments. 

While it cannot be cured, addiction is a disease that can be treated. Pointing fingers, blaming yourself or someone stuck in the cycle of addiction is an unproductive and potentially harmful waste of time. Substance use disorder is not a weakness or moral failing. Encourage your loved one to look for a productive answer through professional help, support groups or participating in self-care activities that work for them.

Carefully Choosing Your Words

No one responds well to anger or punishment. When talking with someone about getting help for their substance abuse, be encouraging. It is best to avoid blame and instead suggest options to make substantial changes. Emphasizes the importance of patience and understanding instead of insult or judgement. Someone in the early stages of recovery may not know how their body and mind will be affected, so being patient is a gift to them. 

Setting Healthy Boundaries

Creating boundaries can seem like a tall order - as it is hard to know where communication stops and where enabling begins. Creating a plan to clearly and concisely lay out what is expected from not only the person in recovery, but also for you, will help establish those boundaries. 

Recovery is not linear - some days it will feel like an uphill battle. If there is a setback in the recovery process, you want to make sure your person will still feel supported by you even when sharing bad news. You’re in this together. 

Celebrate Milestones

Milestones in recovery come in all shapes and sizes. For someone in recovery, no reached goal should go unacknowledged. Whether this is just a thought about getting help or truly taking the steps towards success. Celebrate recovery by acknowledging what they have accomplished and encourage them to keep going.

Take the Next Step

Getting in touch with a recovery center to find out different modalities and recovery options is a great first step to take. Holland Pathways offers family programs for you and your loved ones to heal together! Contact us today.