Support the Grandkids - Don't Enable the Parents

When adult children battle addiction, how do you support your grandchildren without enabling their parents? Read on for the do's and dont's.

Communicating Effectively with Addicts or Alcoholics

The most powerful tool is the truth. Mincing words or walking on eggshells are common mistakes 'affected others' make. Simple, direct, and clear communication gives us our best chance to be heard.

Heroin Addiction in the Family - Supporting Change
© Jim Nix

Six effective ways to help a treatment-ready heroin user that you love make positive changes - what to do and how to help.

Love & Recovery: Rebuilding a Relationship
© Ed Yourdon

Recovery brings a lot of changes and upheaval. Couples can grow and thrive throughout recovery by being mindful, establishing boundaries and expressing needs.

How to End an Addiction-Damaged Relationship
© Merlijen Hoek

What do you do when the person you love gets consumed by a disease (addiction) that's beyond your control? How do we know when it's time to leave and how do you manage to adjust to life without your ...

Guidelines for Living with an Addicted Partner
© Luke Hayfield Photography

Learn how setting personal boundaries and demanding accountability works better than trying to manipulate behavioral change.

"My husband is an alcoholic... what can I do?"

Being trapped is most often a state of mind. Are you looking for answers that you know deep down don’t exist? The simple truth is hard to hear.

How Addiction Affects Siblings
© Adwriter

The needs of siblings of active addicts and alcoholics are often overlooked. This is especially true when siblings are adolescents and young adults. Supporting the needs of all family members ...

When Your Loved Ones Keep Relapsing

Supporting those who keep going back out: how to maintain hope and effectively cope when a loved one just can't seem to stay sober.

Should You Marry a Person in Early Recovery?

When thinking about marrying a person in early recovery, how can you know that recovery will last? Short answer is - you can't! But you can learn to accept your powerlessness over the situation, make ...

10 Ways to Support a Loved-One's Recovery

Supporting recovery - you're probably unsure about what's helpful and appropriate. The list below may surprise you. Here's how you can help.

Parenting an Addict: No Misplaced Guilt!
© Alon

Moving past guilt and powerlessness as we wait for adult children to find recovery.

How to Help without Enabling
© Haylee Barsky

You have to let them face their natural consequences, but does that mean there's nothing you can do to help? Fortunately, you CAN support without enabling and your assistance today can make a big ...

How Addiction in the Family Affects Children
© Julio N

In the midst of active addiction and early recovery, the impact of the disease upon children is often underestimated. Thinking about how children are negatively affected gives us insight into how to ...

Rebuilding a Relationship after Sobriety
© banlon1964

Your partner's in recovery... now what? Tips on rebuilding a relationship while making your own needs a priority: building trust - one day at a time, setting measurable goals to work toward, taking ...

Your Partner Got Sober: Now You Need to Change!
© Nromagna

As difficult as it is to love someone in the spiral of addiction, adjusting to life with a person in recovery is no small task either. Many of us found we lost ourselves while loving an ...

Grandma's Addicted - What to Do?
© Babasteve

Why do older people become addicts? What drugs are they likely to abuse? What to do if you suspect your beloved senior citizen relative is using drugs.

The Quotes and Wisdom of Al Anon
© Stuck in Customs

Do you worry about a loved-one’s drinking? Are you curious about AL Anon but not sure if it’s a good fit for you? Read on to learn a bit more about the benefits of Al Anon family meetings and ...

12 Tips for Healthy Living with an Alcoholic/Addict
© Yelnoc

Addiction is a chronic disease with periods of active use and remission; and it’s also a personal disease which has whole family repercussions. If a person you love struggles with addiction, it is ...

Early Intervention & Treatment
© Rogatien

Although many addicts who hit rock bottom and endure financial ruin, the dissolution of family and the end of careers, do ultimately seek out help...there is no need to wait for addiction to progress ...

Inside (23 articles)

The most powerful tool is the truth. Mincing words or walking on eggshells are common mistakes 'affected others' make. Simple, direct, and clear communication gives us our best chance to be heard.

Guidelines for Ending an Addiction-Destroyed Relationship © Merlijen Hoek

What do you do when the person you love gets consumed by a disease (addiction) that's beyond your control? How do we know when it's time to leave and how do you manage to adjust to life without your actively addicted partner?

How Addiction Affects Sibling Relationships © Adwriter

The needs of siblings of active addicts and alcoholics are often overlooked. This is especially true when siblings are adolescents and young adults. Supporting the needs of all family members individually is the key to maintaining a healthy family unit.

When thinking about marrying a person in early recovery, how can you know that recovery will last? Short answer is - you can't! But you can learn to accept your powerlessness over the situation, make your own life manageable and set healthy boundaries.

How to Support Addicted Loved-Ones without Enabling © Haylee Barsky

You have to let them face their natural consequences, but does that mean there's nothing you can do to help? Fortunately, you CAN support without enabling and your assistance today can make a big difference for their tomorrow.

What about the Kids? How Addiction in the Family Affects Children © Julio N

In the midst of active addiction and early recovery, the impact of the disease upon children is often underestimated. Thinking about how children are negatively affected gives us insight into how to support them.

Rebuilding a Relationship after Your Partner Gets Clean and Sober © banlon1964

Your partner's in recovery... now what? Tips on rebuilding a relationship while making your own needs a priority: building trust - one day at a time, setting measurable goals to work toward, taking care of yourself... rather than your partner.

Loving a Recovering Addict/Alcoholic. Tips for Navigating Your Newly Sober Relationship © Nromagna

As difficult as it is to love someone in the spiral of addiction, adjusting to life with a person in recovery is no small task either. Many of us found we lost ourselves while loving an addict/alcoholic. Now we start our own journey - one in which we focus on self.

Best AL Anon Quotes – Find Out if Al Anon Makes Sense for You © Stuck in Customs

Do you worry about a loved-one’s drinking? Are you curious about AL Anon but not sure if it’s a good fit for you? Read on to learn a bit more about the benefits of Al Anon family meetings and find a selection of quotes that really encapsulate the wisdom of this 12 step program.

12 Ways to Keep Your Family Healthy while Living with an Alcoholic or Drug Addicted Person © Yelnoc

Addiction is a chronic disease with periods of active use and remission; and it’s also a personal disease which has whole family repercussions. If a person you love struggles with addiction, it is likely that you will experience periods in life during which your loved one struggles with alcohol or drug use. Here are 12 tips for keeping your family life as healthy and happy as possible during these times of use.

Intoxication leads to a great deal of family violence... violence against children, spouses and the elderly. Find out what you can and can't do to help, and learn how to stay safe.

Al-Anon, Family Needs to Take Care of Itself © Zzilch

You're no good to anyone if you break down. You need to get support, get educated and learn what you can do, and what you can never change. Al-Anon can help.

Why There is Always Hope © Toni Blay

Although there are few things more painful than watching a loved one fall ever deeper into addiction and abuse, there is always hope, families can influence change, and people do beat addictions every day!

No One Needs To Hit Rock Bottom... Early Intervention and Treatment Saves Lives © Rogatien

Although many addicts who hit rock bottom and endure financial ruin, the dissolution of family and the end of careers, do ultimately seek out help...there is no need to wait for addiction to progress as far as this. No one needs to hit rock bottom and the earlier intervention and treatment ensues, the better the ultimate prognosis.

Are You Enabling? © LeoTM

Enabling refers to any behaviors on your part that make it easier for the addict or alcoholic to continue abusing without facing the true consequences of their drinking or drug usage. It's easy and natural to enable, and we do it because we care and want to protect our loved ones; but to really offer love and care, the best thing anyone can do is to stop all enabling behaviors, and let the addict face the consequences of their own behaviors. It's tough to do, but it's one of the best ways to help someone you love who abuses drugs or alcohol.

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Overview
  • Rock Bottom: Although popular wisdom tells us that people need to hit a personal rock bottom before deciding to get help, research says otherwise - People who get treatment earlier do better!
  • Enabling: Although we naturally want to help those we love avoid problems, when we make excuses and cover for the behaviors of addiction, we make it much easier for those we love to continue truly hurting themselves.
Living With An Addict
External Links
The National Association for Children of Alcoholics Eliminating the adverse impact of alcohol and drug use on children and families.
Al-Anon Family Groups Help and understanding for families and friends of problem drinkers.

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