Addiction is a scourge in many societies around the world and people usually assume that one can simply get over it. Fighting an addiction is something that needs you to have the support of friends and family. Watching a friend go through a rough time is a painful experience. Getting through addiction has its own huddles and a friend is what you will need to get through your addiction.
Overcome addiction by building trust
Building trust is an important part of overcoming addiction. Since addiction is a form of mental health issue you need to get your friend to trust you. It has been observed that if your friend doesn’t trust you they might reject your help altogether therefore trust is the first step in conquering addiction. Your friend has to understand that love him/her and care about his well-being and safety.
Educate yourself about addiction
The best way of understanding what your friend is going through is to educate yourself about it. Watch videos online and learn from people who have gone through addiction on what it feels like and how they conquered it. That way you will have a broad perspective on what you can do to help your friend.
Don’ts of helping your friend overcome addiction
Don’t blame them
Always remember not to blame your friend for having an addiction. This will make them less likely to listen to you. It will make them drift away from you and return to their addictive habits. Never shame them for having an addiction problem it can also lead to suicide or worsen the addiction problem.
Don’t enable them
Similar to blaming you shouldn’t enable your friends. This is due to the fact that they might end up continuing with their behavior.