Problems with alcohol and drugs are very common and, when they occur, many people are affected in addition to the person who has the problem.
The substantial stigma surrounding this issue masks its frequency and interferes with efforts to address it effectively.
Here are three ways for friends and family of a person who struggles with alcohol and drugs may deal with it.
1. Recognize that alcohol or other drugs are becoming a problem in the life of someone close to you.
· This is easier said than done. Alcohol is used by many people and occasional misuse is not unusual. Furthermore, a person with an alcohol problem will often work hard to cover this up by hiding the use. Drugs are even more difficult because use is even easier to hide.
· The addictive use of substances can often create symptoms such as depression or anxiety that mimic other primary psychiatric disorders, leading to misdiagnosis and mis-direction of treatment.
· It is important to be persistent in considering this possibility when there is a pattern of suggestive behavior, or treatment for depression or anxiety is not progressing as expected.
2. Get help for the person with the alcohol or drug problem.
· Many good treatment programs are available in the area. Sometimes financial limitations can be a problem but fortunately many outpatient treatment programs now exist that are equally effective as and less expensive than residential programs. Because of modern treatment advances, detoxification as well as intensive rehabilitation can be safely and effective accomplished on an outpatient basis. These programs can be found by consulting with your primary care physician or contacting your health insurance company. Be wary of aggressive marketing tactics by some treatment programs and research the quality of potential choices.
· Once you identify treatment options, convincing the person with the problem to consider them can be difficult. It is important to pick a time when the person is not under the influence of a substance and you are not feeling angry. Collaborating with others, providing a few specific examples of problems in a non-judgmental manner is more likely to be effective than an adversarial approach. Initial resistance to these suggestions is not unusual. Thinking of change as a process that evolves over time rather than an event that occurs quickly may help you persevere.
3. Take care of yourself, and protect other family members.
· Learning about alcohol and drug problems can help you intervene more effectively and be more patient until the time comes that your intervention is effective. Websites established by NIH for alcohol (www.niaaa.nih.gov) and for drugs (www.drugabuse.gov) are a good place to start your education. A unique resource in our area is the Dick Prodey Lecture Series on alcohol and drugs. These lectures, co-sponsored by Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers, Sheppard Pratt Health Systems, and Maryland NCADD, are conducted at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday in the auditorium of Sheppard Pratt Conference Center in Towson. The lectures are free, there is plenty of free parking and no reservations are required.
Finding support groups to meet others who understand what you are experiencing can be enormously helpful. The longest standing and widely available is Al-Anon Family Groups, which has a meeting schedule online and can also be reached at (888) 425-2666. By attending these sessions anonymously, you will encounter other people who have learned to deal successfully with these difficult problems and who can share with you such wisdom as the “3 Cs”: you did not Cause the problem and cannot Control or Cure it.
Article was written in partnership with Dr. George Koloder of Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers.
