D DreamLife RECOVERY HOW TO TALK TO YOUR LOVED ONE ADDICTED TO DRUGS It's difficult to know how to communicate effectively with someone in your life who is addicted. So how can you show your love and support while also avoiding miscommunications and protecting your boundaries? While you cannot force someone to overcome their addiction, your love, support, and patience can help them recover. You can learn to back your loved one's efforts, set the necessary boundaries to protect your own health and well-being, and find some stability for both yourself and your loved one addicted to drugs by following these guidelines. Understand Your Loved One People begin using substances for a variety of reasons. For instance, many use drugs or alcohol to cope with the emotional distress of mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some people may know they have a mental health problem but cannot find healthier ways of dealing with it, while others go undiagnosed and use drugs to handle particular symptoms. This approach is known as self-medicating. Others use certain substances to change their feelings, perhaps fit in, or relieve monotony or dissatisfaction with their lives. Finally, some become addicted to drugs due to a doctor's efforts to treat a medical condition. Regardless of your loved one's motivation for starting abusing a substance, you should know that even casual use quickly escalates into obsession and addiction - a dark hole from which most people may feel too weak to emerge. How to Speak With Your Loved One The way you communicate with them can decide the relationship you'll have with your loved one addicted to drugs once you approach the topic. Here are some ways that will help you handle the situation best. Don't Put Off Speaking to a Loved One Who is Addicted to Drugs Don't wait until your loved one reaches rock bottom-to be fired, arrested, have a medical emergency, or publicly humiliate themselves before speaking up. The sooner a dependence is addressed, the better. Turn to page 4 to read more tips one how to talk to your love one addicted to drugs... CALL OUR ADMISSIONS TEAM AT 855-912-6873 DreamLife Recovery DreamLife DreamLife Recovery DreamLifePA in Recovery PA VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT DREAMLIFERECOVERY.COM DreamLifePA D DreamLife RECOVERY HOW TO TALK TO YOUR LOVED ONE ADDICTED TO DRUGS It's difficult to know how to communicate effectively with someone in your life who is addicted . So how can you show your love and support while also avoiding miscommunications and protecting your boundaries ? While you cannot force someone to overcome their addiction , your love , support , and patience can help them recover . You can learn to back your loved one's efforts , set the necessary boundaries to protect your own health and well - being , and find some stability for both yourself and your loved one addicted to drugs by following these guidelines . Understand Your Loved One People begin using substances for a variety of reasons . For instance , many use drugs or alcohol to cope with the emotional distress of mental health problems , such as anxiety , depression , or post - traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) . Some people may know they have a mental health problem but cannot find healthier ways of dealing with it , while others go undiagnosed and use drugs to handle particular symptoms . This approach is known as self - medicating . Others use certain substances to change their feelings , perhaps fit in , or relieve monotony or dissatisfaction with their lives . Finally , some become addicted to drugs due to a doctor's efforts to treat a medical condition . Regardless of your loved one's motivation for starting abusing a substance , you should know that even casual use quickly escalates into obsession and addiction - a dark hole from which most people may feel too weak to emerge . How to Speak With Your Loved One The way you communicate with them can decide the relationship you'll have with your loved one addicted to drugs once you approach the topic . Here are some ways that will help you handle the situation best . Don't Put Off Speaking to a Loved One Who is Addicted to Drugs Don't wait until your loved one reaches rock bottom - to be fired , arrested , have a medical emergency , or publicly humiliate themselves before speaking up . The sooner a dependence is addressed , the better . Turn to page 4 to read more tips one how to talk to your love one addicted to drugs ... CALL OUR ADMISSIONS TEAM AT 855-912-6873 DreamLife Recovery DreamLife DreamLife Recovery DreamLifePA in Recovery PA VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT DREAMLIFERECOVERY.COM DreamLifePA