How to Show Support to Someone in Recovery

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recovery blog post

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. If you have a friend or family member in recovery, it’s great to find ways to show your support.

Everyone’s recovery journey is different, but having support from loved ones is helpful for anyone in recovery. Here’s some ways you can show support:

  1. Accept them without judgment – Many recovering addicts feel judged by their families and friends, so you should avoid criticism and negativity as much as possible. Instead, express love for your loved one and praise their decision to maintain sobriety. Be accepting of the person and don’t place judgment.
  2. Learn more about recovery – Seek out reputable recovery resources to learn more about the individual’s specific issues and ways to promote recovery.
  3. Create a substance-free environment – One of the biggest predictors of long-term recovery is whether or not users live in drug-free environments. Loved ones can protect a recovering addict’s surroundings by removing any drug paraphernalia and alcohol while encouraging them to stay away from places that might tempt them to relapse.
  4. Actively listen – Not all recovering addicts want to talk but if they do, take the time to listen and pay attention to what they’re saying.
  5. Encourage healthy habits – Cooking food, exercising and playing games are all positive, substance-free activities that recovering addicts can do with their loved ones.
  6. Suggest joining a support group – In support groups, recovering addicts can interact with other recovering addicts while receiving encouragement. Support them by helping them find courage to go to a support group. You can suggest it and even volunteer to go along with them.
  7. Say you want to help – Sometimes a person in recovery will ask you directly for help but most of the time they may be afraid or embarrassed to ask for help. But just hearing you tell them “I’m here for you and here to help,” is the best support someone can get. Make a clear, simple statement to the recovering addict that you want to help and you support them in this process.
  8. Don’t take things personally – The recovering addict may be making their recovery a top priority instead of you. Counseling sessions may take up their time instead of nights out with you. This is a necessary part of their process as they focus on getting better. In time, this strengthens any friendships or partnerships.
  9. Don’t rehash the past – You may have been hurt by the recovery addicts’ substance abuse but it’s time to move forward from past like they are trying to do. Not letting go of what happened while they were under the influence of substances prevents the necessary growth for everyone to recover. It may be helpful for you to get your own therapy to find peace and understanding.
  10. Don’t give up – The journey of recovery can be long and challenging. Be patient and don’t give up. Keep moving forward.

Helpful Guides: 

As always, HOPE is here.

Georgia HOPE specializes in providing quality mental health and recovery services for in the state of Georgia. To learn more, enroll, or refer someone to us, contact us below:

Speaking of HOPE – September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

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speaking of HOPE
https://youtu.be/Bgq7_kJi9uE

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

Recovery Month:

  • promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible
  • highlights the benefits of substance abuse treatment
  • encourages citizens to take action to help expand and improve the availability of effective substance abuse treatment for those in need
  • honors the contributions of treatment providers

Resources

Helpful Guides: 

HOPE is Here.

Georgia HOPE specializes in providing quality mental health services for children, adults, individuals and families in the state of Georgia. To learn more, enroll, or refer someone to us, contact us below:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – National Prevention Week

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prevention week

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Prevention Week (NPW) is a public education platform that promotes prevention year-round through providing ideas, capacity building, tools, and resources to help individuals and communities make substance use prevention happen every day. This year National Prevention Week is May 10 – 16, 2020.

What topics does NPW address?

Each year, NPW incorporates daily health themes to focus on pressing substance use topics. The 2020 daily health themes are:
• Monday, May 11: Preventing Prescription Drug and Opioid Misuse
• Tuesday, May 12: Preventing Underage Drinking and Alcohol Misuse
• Wednesday, May 13: Preventing Illicit Drug Use and Youth Marijuana Use
• Thursday, May 14: Preventing Youth Tobacco Use (E-cigarettes and Vaping)
• Friday, May 15: Preventing Suicide

NPW Prevention Challenge: #PreventionHappensHere

Take the Challenge in Three Easy Steps

  1. Download and fill out your #PreventionHappensHere sign.
  2. Take a selfie with your sign in the place where prevention happens in your life.
  3. Post your selfie on social media with the #PreventionHappensHere #NPW2020 hashtag and tag your location and your friends.

If you aren’t able to print the #PreventionHappenHere sign, that’s OK! Just follow steps two and three to share your prevention selfie and answer the sign questions below in your post caption.

PREVENTION HAPPENS IN ___________________
SHARE YOUR CITY, STATE, REGION, OR LOCATION
I’M PREVENTING ______________________
SHARE SPECIFIC SUBSTANCE MISUSE ISSUE(S) YOU’RE PREVENTING.

Prevention Happens Anywhere and Everywhere

Substance misuse prevention happens in a lot of places and communities. That’s why NPW is challenging you to take a selfie in the locations and environments where you are preventing substance misuse and suicide. Your selfie can be by yourself or with a group of people. Just show us where prevention happens in your life!

Need some ideas? Here’s some from NPW. Prevention happens:

  • When you decide to take your dog for a walk instead of going to a big party with illegal substance use
  • When two people discuss their mental health in their living room via FaceTime

For more information on NPW, check out their website here.

Looking for resources on Prescription drugs, Heroin, Marijuana, and Underage Drinking? Check out this course: http://www.georgiapreventionproject.org/resources/substance-abuse.php

Georgia HOPE is a supporter of SAMHSA National Prevention Week

We are here as a local resource in Georgia to help individuals, families and communities make substance use and suicide prevention happen every day. You don’t have to suffer alone. #HOPEisHere

If you’re interested in speaking to someone directly at Georgia HOPE about substance use recovery or mental health services, contact us today by clicking here.

Did you know April is Alcohol Awareness Month?

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alcohol awareness

Georgia HOPE wants to do our part to increase outreach and education regarding the dangers of alcohol use disorders and issues related to alcohol. Our families and communities need to know the resources, information, and options available to address this issue. You can learn more Alcohol Awareness Month here.

Connection is the Opposite of Addiction

Anyone with any association in the substance use world, knows that fact. To learn more about social isolation implications during Covid-19, alcohol.org conducted a survey of 3,000 people working from home across the U.S. to see how this is impacting drinking during the workday. They found that 33% of Georgians surveyed say they’ve had alcohol during the work hours while at home. The national average was 32%. Around one-fifth of people surveyed said they stockpiled alcohol for self-isolation. Here are some other statistics on alcohol use in the U.S.

  • 6 people die every day in the U.S. from alcohol poisoning
  • More than 4,300 people die every year as a result of teenage alcohol use
  • As many as 1.3 million underaged youth engaged in binge drinking within the past month
  • Youth who start drinking before age 15 years are 6 TIMES more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse
  • More than 16 million Americans over the age of 18 were living with an alcohol use disorder and about 623,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 were struggling as well National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

These are scary statistics. Individuals with problematic drinking behaviors are among the most vulnerable populations right now. Not only does drinking weaken the immune system, studies show that there is a clear relationship between anxiety and alcohol use.

So What Can You Do?

  1. Address the issue before it becomes the problem – talk to your teens
    • Show you disapprove of underage drinking
    • Show you care about your child’s health, wellness and success
    • Show you’re a good source of information about alcohol and other drugs. Here’s a good place to start
    • https://www.shatterproof.org/blog/5-things-know-about-alcohol
    • Show you’re paying attention and will discourage risky behavior
    • Build your child’s skills and strategies for avoiding drinking and drug use
  2. Be an example for your family and friends to show them healthier methods/activities to relieve stress
    • Stretch, take a walk, organize a game night, meditate, get outdoors, make fun mocktails
  3. Take this quiz to better understand your drinking patterns: https://alcoholscreening.org/

Know the Resources

  1. Many programs are offering virtual meetings online
  2. Helpful websites with information and resources
  3. At Georgia HOPE we offer substance use treatment for adolescents and adults in early intervention, relapse prevention and outpatient services including: individual and family therapy, group therapy, skill building, resource linkage, peer support, and co-occurring disorder medication management and treatment. https://gahope.org/.

Crisis Resources