What are some signs that a person has an addiction?

How do I know if they’ve crossed the line from a recreational user to an addict?

How do you know if someone has an addiction either to alcohol and/or other substances? When loved ones are facing difficult times in their lives it is heartbreaking for the people that care about them. You want to help them, but maybe you don’t know how, you don’t have the resources, or you are just as scared as them.

It might be hard to tell when they keep repeating the same habit of using substances, or in their view, light recreational drugs (cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy, heroin/fentanyl or other opiods).

Perhaps you and your partner would use together and while you were able to control your intake your loved one continued the party or was just partying alone at home. Or perhaps its your teen that you are worried and when you tried to talk about it, they were dismissive, aggressive, and in denial of the facts.

Overcoming The Stigma of Addiction

According to the  Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction in Canada, approximately 21% of the population (about 6 million people) will experience a substance use disorder or addiction at some point in their lifetime. Millions of families, just like yours, are currently dealing with the devastating effects that drugs may have on someone’s life and future.

Parents, wives, husbands, and even children are forced to watch helplessly as their loved ones lose months and years of their lives to harmful substances. As you look on helplessly, you might be asking yourself “what can I do to help my loved one with addiction?“.

Stigma

What options do they have?

Fortunately, there are many options available for your loved ones that may be struggling with addiction.

Interventions An intervention is a well-managed meeting led by a professional interventionist with the participation of the person struggling with addiction and close family members.

Addiction Counseling Some of the various therapies may include Transpersonal Therapy, Trauma Incident Reduction (TIR) Metaphysical Therapy, Satir Family Therapy, Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Enhanced Emotional Intelligence and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Recovery coaching Recover, or Sober, coaching helps individuals begin a process of change, in the hopes of enhancing health and wellness, engaging more in the present and attaining a greater level of productivity.

Treatment There is always light at the end of the tunnel. As hard as it might seem at the beginning, there is always hope. Take the first step and get in touch with us today to explore the various in-patient and out-patient options available in our network.

What about me? What support is there for me?

Al‑Anon is a mutual support program for people whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking or substance abuse. By sharing common experiences and applying the Al-Anon principles, families and friends of addicts can bring positive changes to their individual situations, whether the addict admits the existence of a problem or seeks help. Al-Anon members are people, just like you, who are worried about someone with a drinking or substance abuse problem.

Support Network

Let us help

Get in touch with us now for a confidential conversation on the options available to you and your loved one. Don’t let the stigma of addiction keep your family from enjoying life to its full potential. 

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Take the 1 -Minute Self Assessment Questionnaire

These 12 questions will help determine if you or a loved one needs help.

Alcohol Questionnaire   |   Substance Abuse Questionnaire