Supporting Your Loved One While They Are Getting Sober

get your loved one sober

If you know someone struggling with addiction, you’re probably experiencing a range of different emotions. You may feel sad, angry, or confused, and don’t know what to do. Laguna View Detox is here to tell you one of the best things you can do is help this person find addiction treatment, and then find help for yourself. The best way to support someone is to understand what they’re going through. 

Addiction: The Disease

Addiction is a disease, not a choice.

Addiction is now classified as a chronic disease, rather than a moral failing. During addiction, the chemistry of the brain is changed, causing a type of short-circuit, where the addict has a compulsive, uncontrollable urge to continue using drugs or alcohol. Their brains literally tell them that the substance is more important than anything in their lives and ultimately becomes their singular focus. 

Although it sounds scary, these mental and physical changes can be treated effectively with professional intervention. It’s important to be supportive before, during, and after the treatment process. 

How to Offer Support 

Once you have decided that your loved one or friend would benefit from getting sober, it’s important to do your research and understand not only immediate treatment options, but resources to use once this person is out of treatment, and rebuilding their life.

Things to do while your loved one is in treatment: 

  • Provide encouragement while in rehab
  • Seek education about substance abuse
  • Open your heart and mind
  • Prepare your home to be a sober environment
  • Change lifestyles or the home to encourage long-term sobriety
  • Continue to work with the treatment center after the initial program
  • Attend Al-Anon or Nar-Anon meetings

loved ones getting sober

Al-Anon Intervention

There are community resources that can help you, your family, and your loved one understand addiction and create long-term solutions and support networks.

Al-Anon is the counterpart to Alcoholics Anonymous. This group consists of the friends and families of alcoholics, both past and present. 

Al-Anon considers close friends of self-constructed families to be part of the family unit – so even if your loved one is just a friend, Al-Anon considers them part of the family, which helps in the healing process.

Al-Anon recognizes that alcoholism is often more than a singular person’s issue, and looks at the family dynamic as a whole to understand how the addict fell into addiction. Al-Anon helps the family to change the attitudes and dynamics in order to foster a solid foundation for the alcoholic to recover in.

Nar-Anon

Nar-Anon is the counterpart to Narcotics Anonymous. This group is made up of family and friends of someone who is suffering from substance abuse, no matter what that drug or substance may be. This group often covers a wider range of addictions.

Official Nar-Anon groups follow a 12-step program. These programs help the friends and family members who have been impacted by a loved one’s addiction by creating a community of support.

No matter what kind of support group or community resources you join, you will gain knowledge into your loved ones addiction and also start the healing process for yourself.

Maintain Compassion & Support Throughout the Process

Recovery is a lifelong journey that is most enjoyable with the support from others. A loved one getting sober is a lifestyle change and huge accomplishment, so make sure you acknowledge that for your loved one. It’s not uncommon for recovering addicts to feel anger towards their current situation, grief over what they have lost, and guilt about actions they have taken while they were using drugs or alcohol. The best thing to do is provide a shoulder to lean on and listen.

Do You Know a Struggling Addict? 

If someone you love is struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, please reach out to us today. Laguna View Detox is a luxury addiction treatment facility located in Laguna Beach, CA. We offer a truly individualized approach to addiction treatment and have six beds in our facility, which ensures we can give each and every client our undivided attention. 

A Guide to AA

When you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, you may be wondering if Alcoholics Anonymous is right for you. It’s important to know that Alcoholics Anonymous is by itself not a professionally-run treatment program. However, it can offer you a strong, supportive community both before and after you go through detox, and initial addiction treatment through a professional facility. Here’s what you need to know about Alcoholics Anonymous and how to tell if it’s the right choice on your path to life in recovery:

What Exactly Is Alcoholics Anonymous?

There’s a good chance you’re at least a little familiar with the sobriety-focused organization, or as it is commonly known, “AA”. Launched back in 1935 in Ohio, the now-international group has become practically synonymous with those who are trying to recover from alcohol addiction. Groups typically meet at least once a week or more, sharing their stories of both substance abuse and sobriety, and offering one another support.

AA is also well-known for its “12 steps” of recovery, which are traditionally spiritual in nature. That said, advocates in recent years have explained that these steps are not necessarily religious and can be adopted by people of all beliefs. Essentially, these steps provide a basic guide towards sobriety. It begins with admitting your problem and that you have become powerless under your addiction. The steps then gradually progress through ways you can make steady changes, make amends with those who have been affected by your addiction, and regain control over your life.

Why People Choose AA

In addition to the “steps”, people are drawn to AA for other reasons. The community support is a big one, and many participants feel inspired by others’ stories and  comforted in knowing that they are not alone in their experiences. The group also provides a means of accountability towards others, and many find themselves increasingly likely to make healthy decisions when they are checking in with other people in addiction recovery each week.

In fact, most professional addiction treatment programs highly recommend that recovering addicts find a strong support system during their recovery (and life in sobriety). Especially for those whose relationships may have suffered during alcohol abuse, AA can serve as a supportive frontline. It is this sense of community and place of belonging that draws many people to AA groups in the first place, and it is also what helps members stay.

There’s also the anonymity factor. While those who attend meetings will obviously recognize you if they see you in public, they are expected to not share your name or story with others. While attending a meeting, you yourself are under no obligation to share your real name (though you are welcome to do so). Likewise, when discussing AA publicly or with anyone outside the program, members are also expected to not share their own personal names or the names of others in the program.

Can I Attend AA If I Have a Different Addiction?

There are different kinds of AA meetings. Open meetings are public and may be attended by both alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike, and because of this the local supportive community is often quite extensive. Furthermore, a lot of people attending AA meetings have been in addiction recovery for quite some time. Many people struggling with other substance abuse problems do so because the belief system can easily be generalized to drugs and other addictions. Aside from AA, there are a variety of other 12-step programs geared towards different substances.

Do I Still Need to Go Through Addiction Treatment?

Life in recovery is within your grasp — now you just need to find the best way to get there. While some people do manage to reach sobriety through AA groups alone, the truth is that many others need the focused care that comes with professional addiction treatment programs. After all, AA typically only provides guidance. To get actual medical supervision through detox and onto the first steps of sobriety, you will need the more hands-on approach that comes with a professional treatment program. If you are like most people and are unsure about what approach would be best, it’s wise to reach out to a treatment counselor for more information about your options.

Laguna View Detox Is Here For You

To learn more about professional addiction treatment for alcohol and other substances, reach out to our team at Laguna View Detox. We offer a variety of comprehensive treatment programs that can help you detox and achieve sobriety in a relaxing, luxurious setting. While we encourage you to find outside sources of support (like Alcoholics Anonymous) that can help you stay on track, we will help you go through the important steps of actually freeing your body from dependence on substances. Reach out to us today to learn more.