I think my friend has an addiction problem. How can I help?

If your friend hasn't talked about it with you, you need to be cautious. Try to address some of the symptoms that points to their addiction and talk about them. Make your friend feel that you are trustworthy and you will keep everything confidential. Make them feel you will still accept them and you wont judge them. After talking it through try to evaluate how seriouse the addiction is and consider encouraging them to seek proffesional help.

Addiction is serious. I know because my mother was/is still an addict. My mother for instance put drugs before her kids. Her priorities were out of wack. My siblings and I tried to help her by having intervention and trying to get her into a rehab clinic. Also trying to explain to her the things she could lose if she did not seek help. My siblings I being in the teens couldn't live with her doing drugs in front of us and not caring. And also we had to get out of that environment so we wasn't dragged down with her. But unfortunately it didn't hit home in her mind that we would all move out and leave her. I still have remorse, guilt, and regrets for abandoning her but we tried and tried and we failed each every time. Sometimes you have to think about yourself and what you plan to succeed. And realize that if you didn't get out before you were dragged down with her than you through your life in the trash for someone who didn't care to ruin yours. But for your friend get him some help immediately, try a intervention. Don't think you can handle it and fix it by yourself because addiction is a powerful force. So you have to tell your friends parents or guardian. Hopefully you caught the addiction before it got out of hand and can get your friend back. But on the other hand be careful and don't make yourself vulnerable to being dragged with your friend. Sometimes you can try to help numerous times by making them face the addiction but an addict will never be able to recover if they can not admit they are an addict and want help. I'm always here if you need advice on this or someone to talk too.

If someone you care about has asked for help, he or she has taken an important first step. If that person is resistant to help, see if you can at least convince him or her to get an evaluation from a doctor. Emphasize to your friend or loved one that it takes a lot of courage to seek help for a problem because there is a lot of hard work ahead. There is a great deal of scientific evidence that treatment works, and people recover every day. Like other chronic diseases, addiction can be managed successfully. Treatment enables people to counteract the powerfully disruptive effects of any addiction on the brain and behavior and to regain control of their lives. Like many diseases, it can take several attempts at treatment to find the right approach. But assure your friend or loved one that you will be supportive in his or her courageous effort.

LISTEN. Ask your friend questions. Make your friend reflect on addiction's impact on his/ her life. Progress is slow, so never lose patience.

The hardest thing for people you know who have an addiction problem is that they will deny that they even have a problem and trust me you will go to the ends of this world to help them and advise them to help and treatment, but the most you can do is be there for them. Care for them and look out for them, but it's their decision at the end of the day if they want to help themselves, you just have to support and accept and love them even if maybe you can't help them. Later down the road they'll be glad you were there for them instead of forcing them into something they didn't get immediately, but it'll work out.

Be supportive and reiterate often the importance of getting help. Addictions are corrosive and cause destruction in many areas of life. It is a short term solution often with no long term benefit. Your friend must address his/her issues from the root it is essential.

It's easy to let yourself submerge within the depths of other's addictions because you love and care for them. I like to use the phrase, "you can lead a horse to freshwater, but cannot make it drink," when discussing addiction. No matter how badly you may want to talk about the addiction or guide a friend through a program, it is up to the person in the addiction to want to change. Detaching with love, while still being present and available (if personally able), along with taking care of yourself can be useful tools. Addiction is commonly a family disease, meaning it affects more than the addicted. Although you may be ready to jump into a battle alongside your friend and their addiction, they may not be. It is only their willingness that has any merit to true change within themselves.

Oh, you are so kind enough to your friend. The first thing you need to keep in mind is that you are a good person because you are good to your friends. I think that the reason why your friend became addicted is that he/she lost something. Maybe he/she needs care from others. So, you can try to give more support to your friend. You can try to find out the reason behind it. However, keep in mind that although your approach is good, you may be considered troublesome in the eyes of your friend too. So don’t forget to take good care of yourself too.