Although your loved one may have finished treatment for opioids in Chicago, their journey is far from over.

Sobriety is a life-long commitment and many people may slip up. If someone relapses, it is important that their loved ones are there to help.

How To Help Someone Who Relapsed

Whether they are your friend, family member, roommate, or coworker, supporting an addict who relapses can be difficult. You may not know what to say or do, but it is important that you do something. At Banyan Chicago we are sharing a few tips on helping a loved one who relapses.

Educate Yourself

Before you can help a loved one who relapsed, you need to understand their addiction and what relapse entails. This includes recognizing the signs your loved one relapsed, knowing the symptoms of their particular drug use, and understanding that drug addiction is a disease. Once you have this knowledge, you will be better prepared to help them.

Offer Encouragement

If your loved one relapses, they are probably feeling down on themselves and discouraged. Be empathetic instead of making them feel even worse than they already do. Offer them words of encouragement and let them know that you still believe in them. If they know that someone else believes in them, they will be more likely to believe in themselves.

Be Supportive

Supporting an addict who relapses is important and can come in many different forms. You want them to know that although they made a mistake, you are still there for them. Ask them what they need from you right now. They may want an open ear or someone who will check in on them frequently. Without any support, they could turn back to drugs and alcohol.

Do Not Enable Their Addiction

There is a fine line between supporting an addict who relapsed and enabling their addiction. Make sure that along with being supportive, you also set boundaries. You want them to be accountable for their behavior so that they do not slip back into their addiction.

Get Them Treatment

Relapse is a part of the recovery process for many, but it is important that one slip-up doesn’t snowball back into full-blown addiction again. One of the best ways to help your loved one who relapsed is to get them professional help. A stabilization program like ours helps people in recovery figure out what to do after a relapse. They will refine their coping techniques and learn how to keep their one-time mistake from happening again.

Take Care Of Yourself

If your loved one relapses, it is understandable that you want to do everything in your power to help them, but you can only do so much. Especially if your loved one is hesitant to get treatment, your hands are tied. A drug intervention specialist may be an option, but you cannot force someone to get help if they do not want it. Although your main concern may be your loved one, do not forget to take care of yourself. Take time for yourself and continue to do the things that you love.

If your loved one recently relapsed and needs help, we are here. At Banyan Chicago we work with people in various stages of the addiction process on building a future without drugs or alcohol.

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To get more information, call us today at 888-280-4763.