Do you have a loved one that is battling addiction? It can be a hard, long, emotional road to walk on. I’m going to give you practical tips and encouragement to help you navigate through this tough season.
Feel free to watch below or keep reading.
Three Tips to Help Your Loved One Overcome Addiction
REMOVE YOURSELF WITHOUT REMOVING YOUR BOUNDARIES.
Feelings can be liars. It’s important that you remove your feelings, NOT your heart. Many times, people who are battling addiction, they do not know how to cope with their feelings. So, if we jump in the middle of that merry-go-round, then that’s not going to help anybody. It’s certainly not going to help them or give them the strength that they need. Your loved one needs somebody who is going to be outside of that merry-go-round. So, make careful and loving boundaries and stick to them.
LET THEM SEEK FOR HELP. YOU CAN GUIDE THEM, BUT DON’T DIRECT EVER STEP.
A lot of people become codependent when trying to help their loved one. What I mean by this is they feel like that they think that if they can just do the right thing, and say the right thing, and be the right person, and turn their loved one away from that thing, it would be so much better for them. But you actually just jump right in the middle of their addiction with them. You become codependent.
In the Word of God it says that Satan comes as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Satan is an imposter. So he will come in and he says things like, “Well, if you love them, you would help them.” Or he says, “I can’t believe that you wouldn’t give them a place to stay, they’re going to be out in the cold.”Those kinds of things will make us feel like we should walk more in their shoes and become more part of their problem. In reality, all that does is debilitate that person, and it keeps them from finding the freedom that they need. So leave those feelings at the door, get counsel yourself, and set those boundaries, and set them strong.
If they really want help, then let them seek for that help. If you’re the one that’s always guiding, pushing, helping, giving them the name, giving them the number, giving them a phone, giving them a car, helping them make the right decisions to move forward in getting help, then they’re not searching for that. If a person doesn’t search for the help by themselves, then they’re not ready to step outside of the cycle. As hard has it is, you have to wait until that person is ready. That doesn’t mean that we don’t intervene sometimes depending on the situation. But for the most part, let them do the seeking. If they ask you for direction and they’re scared they’re going to make the wrong move, then you can sit with them, counsel them, love them, and pray with them.
DON’T LOSE HEART – PRAYER IS POWERFUL!
Prayer is powerful. God loves that person more than you love that person. So, if you are asking our Father in Heaven, who knit together that person in their mother’s womb… If you’re asking the God of the Universe for help, then you know that He’s working on your behalf on their behalf. Trust Him and don’t stop asking. I know it can be a long road sometimes – You get mad and you don’t want to pray. If that’s the case, then have someone pray with you and encourage you. Don’t give up, prayer is powerful.
Are they ready for help?
When they’re ready for help, I encourage you to point them toward a Christ-based program or ministry. When they put Christ at the center, they will see that they cannot do this alone, nor will they want to – Only true freedom can be found in Him. He is able to restore all things!