Hawaii Island Recovery 
When a loved one succumbs to the weight of addiction, you may feel hopeless, helpless, or even intimidated to confront them about seeking treatment. It’s essential to understand that those who are addicted to heroin need help and rehabilitation. While those addicted to heroin need help, it is just as important to understand that addiction affects the whole family.
Therefore, taking action will be the best thing you do for your loved one. Still, you want to respect their boundaries and find ways to bring them closer to help rather than push them away. Here are some ways you can help your loved one find the best treatment and education for their addiction.
Heroin and the Brain
Addiction in the United States is at an all-time high. Among the more prevalent and concerning addictions is heroin addiction. Heroin is a highly addictive opioid, and many individuals fall prey to its vicious cycle after only their first time using this drug.
Heroin addiction tends to put individuals on edge and make them feel vulnerable. This happens because heroin changes how the brain works and influences one’s thoughts and behaviors. It can cause individuals to intensify problems and situations until they convince themselves that the only way to find relief is by feeding their addiction.
It is essential to understand that addiction is complex and often difficult to understand. However, if you are looking for ways to help your loved one find the best treatment and education for their addiction, understanding substance use at its core is one of the first steps to recovery.
While it may be difficult, frustrating, or even heartbreaking to see your loved one struggle with a heroin addiction, the more education you have about addiction, the better you can prepare to find appropriate help. Guidance and education from a qualified professional will offer you a deeper understanding and insight into how substance abuse changes the brain and why the cycle of addiction occurs.
If you’re a parent, one of your most pressing questions may be “How do I parent well while recovering?”. Like recovery, parenting is a journey…
More infoHow Stigma Shapes Perception
As you learn about heroin addiction, you will see how much stigma surrounds this form of addiction. In the United States alone, you will find various myths surrounding addiction. Myths derive from a misconstrued public perception and inaccurate portrayals in television, music, and film. Therefore, it is vital to educate yourself to help you recognize addiction as a disease within the brain. Doing so can mean all the difference in how you approach the subject with your loved one.
Having a Conversation With Your Loved One About Their Addiction
Bringing up your loved one’s addiction can be a scary endeavor. Your loved one might feel betrayed or blindsided and therefore have a negative response. Due to this possibility, you will want to approach the conversation in a nurturing way.
Consulting a therapist can help you learn how to have a healthy conversation. Therapists will offer you excellent tools and methods to approach the subject. In many cases, a therapist can moderate your conversation with your loved one to keep the conversation constructive rather than confrontational. Likewise, having a therapist present can help keep your emotions in check, too.
Setting Boundaries With Your Loved One
While you want to focus on supporting your loved one, it is vital that you take care of yourself, too. This is accomplished by setting boundaries. Boundaries establish limits on what you will and will not accept from your loved one. Not only does this promote self-care, but it prevents you from enabling your loved one.
Examples of boundaries might include:
- Not running errands for your loved one
- Not loaning your loved one money
- Taking time for yourself to meditate and relax
- Not allowing substances in the household
Boundaries help your physical and mental health and establish mutual respect between you and your loved one. Boundaries can also provide a structure within the household and cultivate an environment where everybody works together to manage the addiction. Remember, you want to find ways to empower your loved one, not enable them.
Heroin is one of the most dangerous drugs available in the United States today. It’s a highly addictive substance that traps users in its grip and does all it can to not let go.
More infoHope Is Not Lost
Ultimately, overcoming heroin addiction requires professional support. Seeking help at a facility qualified in opioid addiction treatment is one of the best ways to overcome the addiction. At facilities such as Hawaii Island Recovery, your loved one will receive an appropriate diagnosis and, therefore, the best possible treatment.
Diagnosis will incorporate the following:
- History of substance abuse
- Underlying trauma stemming from childhood
- Family health or predisposition to substance use
- Whether there is a co-occurring disorder
Seeking professional help will allow your loved one the best opportunity for a life of recovery.
The professionals at Hawaii Island Recovery understand that there is no easy way to discuss a loved one’s heroin addiction. While the ultimate goal is to help your loved one, you need to remember to take care of yourself. Learning how to create boundaries and improve communication with your loved one is essential. It all begins with educating yourself about addiction, and we can help. Since addiction affects the whole family, we offer support groups for all family members, including friends. Our goal is to provide your family with education and understanding of addiction and help your family learn how to work together to manage addiction. With our treatment program in Hawaii, your family will have all they need to help sustain recovery. If you and your loved ones are living in a household that is under the weight of addiction, the time to seek help is today. For more information, call (866) 390-5070.
