You are not alone. Many parents, spouses, children, and friends know and love someone who is an alcoholic or an addict. Whatever your relationship is to your loved one who suffers from this disease, please know that there is help close at hand. It’s important that you don’t lose hope for yourself or your loved one.
With millions of people living with alcoholism or addiction, there are many places to reach out to and many ways to get help. It is a painful and often heartbreaking thing to love an alcoholic or addict – but there is always hope. Asking for help is the first step for you both.
There are many people who have been through exactly what you are going through now. They have come out on the other side happier and more at peace. There are also many people who have suffered from the same disease as your loved one, and they too have recovered and found freedom. Thankfully, there are many avenues available to you both that may prove to be the answer to your problems.
Recovery Programs
If your loved one is ready and willing to seek help – or outright asking for your help – and they do not require medical or professional aid to get clean and sober, then they may be ready to enter a 12-Step recovery program. These are local groups of people who suffered from alcoholism and addiction and find themselves living happy, sober lives by making the 12-Steps of recovery their basis for living.
It all depends on the nature of your loved one’s addiction, but there is an appropriate 12-Step group for almost everything, almost everywhere. The odds are very good that there is one that fits your specific needs close by. A phone call to your local hospital or house of worship can often reveal the times and locations of local 12-Step groups. If not, then a quick internet search for 12-Step meetings in my area should help you find them.
From there, it’s as easy or as difficult as getting your loved one to their first meeting. If they are willing to attend meetings regularly, be as supportive as you can. If they are not ready or willing to get help yet, you can make the information available to them – or keep it close by so you are ready when that day comes.
Professional Help
Many alcoholics and addicts may need medical help to get clean and sober as they begin their journey into recovery. Sometimes it is necessary to give them the physical, mental, and emotional edge to really embrace a new life. Like Jaywalker Lodge, the most effective treatment facilities will combine a number of effective treatment techniques with a 12-Step recovery program. Mental and emotional therapy is often needed along with the 12-Steps to help those who suffer from additional issues in tandem with their addiction.
In fact, most people struggling with addiction also experience anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. There are many facilities that specialize in treating all co-occurring disorders. Here at Jaywalker Lodge, we believe these conditions must be treated concurrently to help people learn to manage mental health symptoms in recovery.
Medical and physical treatments may also be necessary, depending on the circumstances. If your loved one’s physical addiction is acute or particularly dangerous, then medical treatment should be attempted first. Jaywalker Lodge and other facilities offer different kinds of combined and variable treatment options. A call to your insurance company or a quick internet search can reveal which facilities are options for you and your loved one.
Help For Yourself
Dealing with the turmoil and heartache of having a loved one who suffers from alcoholism or addiction can be devastating. The emotional and mental pain can ravage us. It is important that you don’t give up on yourself – and that you know there is help for you, too. Give yourself the opportunity to deal with this difficult time in the healthiest way possible. Many people have suffered the same pain while watching their loved ones being overtaken by the disease of addiction.
In fact, there are 12-Step groups specifically for those who love someone who is an alcoholic or addict. At these groups, you will find people who have been in your shoes and now enjoy some degree of peace and freedom. Allow them to help you find the same. Whatever the circumstances may be, they will understand and they will help you cope with the journey ahead and the pain of the past.
Whether your loved one seeks help of their own volition or not, it may be life-changing for you to reach out to the Al-Anon 12-Step group in your area. They will be there. Run an internet search for local Al-Anon meeting and attend the very next meeting that you can. The principles of the 12-Steps have been changing the lives of alcoholics, addicts, and those who love them for nearly 100 years. They can change yours, too.
If you or someone you love is suffering from alcoholism or addiction, let us help. Jaywalker Lodge provides hope and a healing environment by treating each day as a promise of our future, not as a consequence of our past. We can help you determine which options are best for you or your loved one and then get you started on the road to recovery. It’s never too late to change your life. Call us today at (866) 529-9255.
As Chief Executive Officer Bill provides leadership and manage all day-to-day operations of Jaywalker Lodge, an extended care residential addiction treatment program for adult men.
