Drug addiction is a major concern all over the world. At least 1 out of every five people has that one friend who has a drug problem. As a friend, it is very important to try and help them out of this menace rather than avoiding them. However, approaching them and trying to bring them back on track is a hard task, but a worthy one. Here are five simple ways to help your friend through drug addiction.
Strengthen Your Relationship
The first thing is to strengthen your bonds. If you are rarely hanged out together, this is the time you need to be closer to them, create a solid rapport such that they may feel you value your relationship. This will build trust and confidence between you such that you can share even the deepest secrets. A close relationship will help them open up and even tell you what might be the reason why they are doing drugs. Without a strong bond, they may even start evading you once they realize you know they have a drug problem.
Moderate Your Approach
Another great and effective tip is to moderate the approach you use in trying to discuss the drug problem. First, empathize with them and show them that they are not the only ones who have had this problem. Also, it is important not to be judgemental when talking to them. Never sound harsh or discriminate them because of their addiction. Choose the right words and tone as there is a need for them to focus on the content of your message and not how it is passed.
Present The Facts
As a concerned friend, it is important to discuss with them about the impact of their addiction. Most addicts fail to notice the major impact of their problem. Drug addiction slowly destroys people’s lives. They start overlooking responsibilities, avoid their social networks and even deplete their finances. They may hardly notice these problems unless you try to talk to them about it. However, don’t focus all the time you spend together talking about this. Just mention it to them and ask them to think about it later on. Just tailor such issues to look like wake up calls during your conversations. One thing with quitting drugs is that the victim should be willing to quit by themselves. All you need to do is show them the way.
Be Part Of Their Schedule
Even though this may be quite hard because of personal responsibilities, being part of their schedule can help them quit drugs. By spending most of your free time with them, you can engage in some other activities that may distract them from thinking of drugs. The best thing to do is try and figure out what their hobbies are. Even though their hobbies might be different from yours, try and participate in them together. A good activity to engage in is sports; whether soccer, basketball, jogging or even the gym. Once you engage in such sports, they will be tired and will hardly think of drugs, all they will need is rest!
Give Them Hope
Quitting drugs is a hard tasks and needs motivation. It is hard to quit drugs overnight; the best thing is to reduce the amount of intake slowly. With this in mind, you should encourage them and give them hope for every slight improvement. Acknowledge all their efforts in trying to stop the habit. Most addicts fall out of track because they loose hope and fall back.