Do you have a friend who is trying to turn over a new leaf and needs some help quitting their drug addiction? In many cases, they need the help of a counselor or drug rehabilitation center, but they will also benefit from their friends being supportive.
What can you do to make sure that you are helping them as much as possible and supporting their attempt to give up drugs? Here are a few ideas.
1. Help Them Around the House
Even housework can feel overwhelming when you are trying to give up a serious addiction. As the drug leaves a person’s body, they may feel tired, sick, or otherwise unwell. During that time of recovery, they will need some help. They may not be able to do common house chores very easily. They might need help running errands or paying bills.
So, what can you do? You can lend a hand by doing some of the housework or hire the Bronx home cleaning pros. Look for ways to ease some of the pressure off of your friend and take care of some of their responsibilities for them. You don’t want to make the mistake of doing all of their work for them, but when you know they’re not feeling well and they’re struggling to get some things done, you could help them out.
Be careful about imposing on your friends and forcing your help on them. It would be better to simply ask them what you could do to help and perhaps offer a few suggestions. Let them know you’re willing to cut the grass, clean the floors, help with the laundry, and do other chores that may make life a little easier for them. When someone is not feeling well, they are more likely to give in to the urges that they feel, and you can help keep them off drugs by lending a helping hand.
2. Spend Time with Them
One of the most valuable things you can do to support a friend who is trying to give up drugs is to simply set aside time to spend with them. This is a great way to keep them engaged and interested in something that has nothing to do with their drug addiction. You can simply hang out with your friend and watch movies or you could take them out to eat, go for a walk, or do some other activity that will take their mind away from the drugs.
When they have someone around them who does not do drugs, that can be a great influence on them. You can help to keep them accountable and prevent them from slipping back into the drug habit. They are less likely to use drugs when someone else is around who does not use drugs. You can have a positive impact on their life and keep them so engaged with what they’re doing with you that they don’t even want to use drugs.
3. Don’t Discuss Your Problems
Someone who is trying to quit drugs will be overwhelmed by their own problems many times. It can be harmful for you to put some of your problems on them and tell them about the awful things you might be going through. It would be better if you found someone else to tell your troubles to, and this way you can keep some of the extra pressure off of your friend who is trying to quit drugs.
What happens when we discuss our problems with our friends is that often they want to think of solutions to help. If you start talking about your problems to a friend who is struggling with drugs, their mind may get a little overwhelmed as they’re already dealing with their own problems and they’re trying to think of solutions for your problems too.
4. Encourage Them to Get Help when Necessary
Getting free from drug addiction can take a long time. In many people’s lives, there will be periods where they are free for a little while and then they go back. They have these ups and downs, and they may feel somewhat unstable.
That’s perfectly normal, and what people need to do when they relapse is to go for help again. The problem, however, is that they may feel like they already went for help and it didn’t fix their problem. They don’t understand that there was not nothing wrong with the help, in most cases.
So, you can encourage them to seek out help when they’re having low points or going through periods of relapse. If you see your friend struggling, it may be wise to suggest that they seek some help, whether that is going to a rehab center, checking in at a clinic, or talking to a drug rehabilitation counselor. You don’t want to be pushy, but you do want to make the right suggestion at the right time.
Pay attention to the signs that your friend may be struggling or that they may be going through a drug addiction relapse. This is when you need to take extra measures to protect and support them. If they refuse to get help, you may want to get in touch with their counselor on your own and ask for advice about what to do.
5. Love Them Even When They Fall
If you want to be a real friend to someone who is struggling with drugs, then it is important that you love them and care for them even when they mess up. Not everybody gets free from drugs on the first attempt. Many people will relapse over and over, and they need supportive people around them who will help them to get the victory and get free from drugs.
You can be that supportive person in your friend’s life, not judging them or shaming them when they fall, but letting them know that you’re there to help them pick up the pieces and that you believe they can quit.