DO'S

Educate Yourself

Take the time to learn about addiction through research and reading. Becoming more educated on the topic of addiction will allow you to better understand what your loved one is feeling – and what he or she has gone through in active addiction – and what to expect in early recovery.

Communicate

Honesty is crucial – even if it’s difficult or negative. Opening up the conversation is better than saying nothing at all.

Connect

Find a local support group for families, friends or spouses of addiction where you’re able to open up about what you’re feeling and thinking when your loved one comes home from rehab.

Addiction doesn’t just happen to one person. It happens to everyone around them: partners, kids, siblings, parents. They all get caught in the fallout.
Sometimes it starts quietly. A few missed dinners. Mood swings. Money that doesn’t stretch like it used to. Other times, it’s a full-blown storm: ER visits, job loss, screaming matches, courtrooms. And when it’s someone you love, you don’t just see the wreckage, you feel every second of it.
But here’s the thing: families can heal, too. And recovery doesn’t just belong to the person using. It belongs to everyone willing to walk through the fire with them; the ones who stay up late Googling "addiction in family members", just trying to understand what on earth is happening.