Recovery is an ongoing commitment, and people who are addicted to a substance often have to deal with other people in their lives who are still using or who may be putting pressure on the addict to use. These loved ones, or even just friends or acquaintances, can be harmful to an addict when they don’t provide help and support for the person trying to get clean. While all help is appreciated, some of these relationships can become toxic if they involve aggressive encouragement of drug use by the loved one. These are ways your loved ones are harming your addiction recovery.
Loved Ones Who Don’t Support Recovery
Recovery is hard, and addicts often have to deal with people who push them towards using drugs again. When loved ones pressure the addict to use drugs, they may try to talk them into it or use other types of manipulation. These loved ones are not supporting their loved one’s recovery and are doing more harm than good. It would be best if you stayed away from these types of people.
Loved Ones Who Bully The Addict
Loved ones can be bullies, and they may be so comfortable in their role as lovers or supporters that they lose perspective. It is unhealthy for the addict and anyone else affected by their behavior. These people often try to bring down the addict in any way they can, bringing up even old issues that are no longer relevant to help destroy the addict’s self-confidence and overall health.
Loved Ones Who Are In Denial
Some loved ones may know the addict is struggling, but they refuse to acknowledge it. These loved ones may have been hurt by the addict and might feel they deserve to pay for their past actions. They may not want to admit that their loved one is in trouble because that would mean confronting the problem personally, and more importantly, it would mean admitting that somebody related to them needs help. When in recovery, you need to stick to supportive people.
Loved Ones Who Are Not Supportive Of Life Changes
While addicts may need to make some big changes in their life to get clean, that doesn’t mean they have to make all the changes alone. The ones closest to them should offer help with these changes and support them in making these permanent lifestyle adjustments. They should avoid drinking and drug use when they are around you to prevent further problems. These changes may be hard to accept and need time to take effect, but it is better to support that than proactively encourage the addiction.
Loved Ones Who Are Judgmental
For an addict to overcome their addiction, they need to feel that they can trust their loved ones to help them. When your loved ones keep judging you for your past mistakes and keep bringing up the past, you will feel more isolated from them. Even if there is some truth to what they say, constant criticism does not help address the problem. It can only make the situation worse.
Loved Ones Who Criticize The Addict
A person recovering from drug abuse will often feel like they don’t need anyone to support them because they are doing it on their own. However, while people in recovery can feel very strong and confident about their decision to stay clean when they want to, there are many times when they do need support and encouragement. One way that loved ones can do this is by praising the addict’s efforts and encouraging them to continue their recovery. When loved ones try to belittle the person’s progress, they invalidate that person’s feelings of self-worth.
They Buy You Alcohol And Drugs
Loved ones can also be harmful when they buy the addict alcohol or drugs. While in recovery, it’s so easy for one to relapse, and buying drugs is just putting temptation in their path. A loved one needs to remember that they are supporting the addict’s recovery by helping them stay away from drugs and alcohol.
False Promises Of Help
Sometimes loved ones will promise to help someone get clean, but they pull away from the addict instead of helping. An addict needs all the support they can get, so making and breaking these promises is harmful because it makes the addict feel like no one will be there for them. When they don’t reconcile their promises with their actions, they reinforce the addiction and damage their relationships. In conclusion, people in recovery need to have well-meaning support systems around them. It is vital for their health to get well and move on with their lives. A positive relationship with loved ones is why one should choose to stay clean and avoid relapse. To know if a loved one is harming your addiction recovery, call 833-610-1174.