Watching a loved one suffer from alcohol addiction is never easy. As a friend or family member, it’s natural to want to try and help them through to recovery. But not all addictions can be treated the same way, and everyone takes their own path through their journey to sobriety. Understanding how alcohol treatment in San Diego uses education and science based facts to treat addiction can help you support your loved ones. With the right help, anyone struggling with alcohol addiction can reach sobriety.
Understand Their Addiction
Alcohol addiction is a complicated health concern that hasn’t always been fully understood. There’s a lot of stigma surrounding addiction of any kind, but particularly alcohol addiction. Because alcohol doesn’t have as strong of an immediate effect as other drugs, it’s also not always easy to identify. When someone you love is struggling with addiction, it’s important to understand the facts behind their addiction, rather than lean into the stigma.
Addiction is a mental health disorder. And it’s often caused by other underlying health issues as well. For many, alcohol and drug use is a form of self-medication for undiagnosed mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD, and more. With the proper treatment, many individuals are able to find healthier ways to cope with their mental health. Addiction is also partly genetic, meaning that some individuals are more likely to form addictive habits. Understanding why your loved one may be suffering from an addiction can help you support them in finding healthier means of moving forward.
Be Nonjudgmental
It’s hard to watch someone you love suffer, but judging them and their choices isn’t going to help them get better. For many who have an addiction, the fear of retaliation and backlash often keep them from seeking help. If you know or suspect that someone you love is suffering from alcohol addiction, it’s important to offer them love and support. Addictions are gripping issues that take more than just the strength of will to overcome. When someone fails to break an addiction on their own, they need the help of their friends, family, and local alcohol treatment centers to become sober.
This is especially true if someone relapses. Finally getting clean can be a wonderful feeling, and falling back into addiction can be twice as disheartening. But if someone you love does return to alcohol, chances are they are already hard enough on themselves for it. When this happens, they need you to continue to love and support them as they recover once more.
Understand Options for Alcohol Treatment in San Diego
There are a few different options for alcohol treatment in San Diego, and knowing the differences can help you get your loved one the support they need. There are two main treatment options available that have shown the highest success rates in helping individuals reach sobriety and maintain it.
Outpatient programs require attendance at three to five group education sessions a week. Intermixed with individual counseling, these programs help individuals understand the underlying reasons behind their addiction and find healthy ways to stay sober. With both day and early evening courses available, individuals can maintain work, school, and family schedules while seeking treatment.
Partial hospitalization programs require the individual to stay at the treatment center for the full day during the week. These programs offer additional monitoring and counseling to help those who struggle with health issues maintain their physical and mental health as they undergo treatment.
Both programs allow the individual to return to their homes or sober living facilities after treatment. By continuing to live their normal lives and exist in their regular habitats, individuals learn to use the skills they’ve gained to maintain their sobriety. Experiencing difficulties while they’re outside of the treatment center helps them focus their sessions on healthy coping mechanisms.
Know When to Say No
Refusing someone you love when they are asking you for help is not an easy task. But in cases of addiction, it can be the most crucial. When someone suffers from alcohol addiction, often their brain is only focused on getting their next drink. It’s common for those who suffer to wind up in a financially tight spot as they spend their money on alcohol rather than basic necessities. However, it’s important that you don’t give in and give them money when they ask. By refusing to financially support them, you push them closer to seeking the help they need.
Saying no also helps you protect yourself. Watching someone you love struggle can be emotionally taxing. While it’s admirable to want to help your loved ones, it’s important to remember that you can’t help anyone if you yourself are drained. Knowing when to take a step back from helping someone else allows you to refill your own energy so you can continue to support them in the future.
Help Them Find Alcohol Treatment in San Diego
When someone is ready to seek treatment for alcohol addiction, it’s crucial that they find the right treatment center. There are a lot of options for alcohol treatment in San Diego, and the Bridges of San Diego is one of the leading treatment centers available. With partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, we help individuals understand their addictions and find ways to live a healthy, sober life. We also offer individual and group counseling for family members to help them support their loved ones on their journey. If you know someone who is suffering from alcohol addiction, give us a call at 619-639-1458 to learn more about how we can help.