If you think that someone you love is addicted to drugs, it’s important that you handle the situation carefully. It’s common to be afraid to approach you loved one about drug use, because you don’t know how he or she will react.
Help for Drug Addicts
Before you talk to your loved one about treatment options, you need to approach him or her about the drug problem. It’s important that you don’t confront a drug abuser in a way that will cause an argument. Drug abusers tend to get angry easily, so you need to approach the situation with care.
As it’s such a sensitive situation, hiring an intervention specialist can make things easier. An intervention specialist helps you set up an intervention for your loved one. He or she coaches family and friends on what to say during the intervention process. It’s important that you emphasize how much you love the person and emphasize that you will give your support during recovery. At the end of the intervention, the drug user is asked to enroll into a treatment program right away.
Illicit Drugs
- Alcohol
- Cocaine
- Crack
- Crystal Meth
- Ecstasy
- Heroin
- Marijuana
Signs and Symptoms of Addiction
People who use drugs tend to show signs of drug abuse in every aspect of their lives. It’s common for an addict to miss work, neglect family obligations and have financial problems. Addiction consumes the addict’s life, and finding the next high is the most important thing. If the drug has a powerful enough hold over the person, he or she may resort to stealing money to buy drugs. You might notice money or valuable items disappearing from your home. You might notice a chance in your loved one’s sleeping patterns. Some drugs keep you awake for a long period of time, causing you to fall asleep when you come down from your high. Other drugs relax you, so that you sleep more often than normal. Physical signs of drug abuse vary depending on the type of drug the person is using. However, some common symptoms include a decline in physical appearance, sudden weight loss or weight gain, dilated pupils and bad dental hygiene.
Prescription Drugs:
AdderallAlprazolamAmbienAtivanClonazepamHydrocodoneKlonopinLorazepamOxycodonePercocet
Drug Addiction Treatment
When you’re trying to find drug addiction help, it’s important to look into all of your options and choose the program that is right for you. People beat their addictions every day, using both inpatient treatment programs and outpatient programs. The type of program you choose should depend entirely on your personal needs.Outpatient treatment programs give you more freedom, so that you can work and be home with your family at night. Daily check-in programs require you to report to a drug abuse counselor every day for a short session. This helps keep you on track during the recovery process. Day treatment programs require you to stay at the facility for eight hours every day. During this time, you attend group therapy sessions and educational lectures about addiction.Inpatient treatment programs require the patient to live at the facility for the duration-typically 30, 60 or 90 days-of his or her treatment. The process starts with detoxification. During this time-typically about one week-you may experience withdrawal symptoms. Facilities have medical staff on hand to help you cope with the detox process. The medical personnel can also administer medication to relieve some of your symptoms. Once the detox process is over, your regular treatment begins. A typical day at an inpatient facility might include group therapy sessions, individual therapy sessions, educational lectures, recreational activities designed to help you learn how to have fun without drugs and optional church services.
