Saving Your Child: 6 Steps to Confronting Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol

There’s no denying it. The signs are all there. Your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol. As a parent, it's scary discovering your child is addicted. In fact, there’s probably nothing scarier as a parent.

Now, it’s time to act to help your child—and your family. Addiction impacts the whole family—not just the child.

The question is what are you going to do about it? How are you going to get your child and family back on track?

Follow these steps to confronting addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Stop and Take A Deep Breath

The first thing you need to do is stop and take a deep breath. You need to prepare yourself before intervening in your child’s life.

You also need to take time to prepare yourself for the critical conversations ahead and for laying the foundations for more positive outcomes.

Next, if you have a spouse, talk with them. You need to come together on a common stance on drugs and alcohol before talking with your child.

Even if you disagree, you need to come to together on the stance you’ll take. What is important is that you are on the same team, working towards the same goal.

Communication will be key for you child’s recovery.

Tips on Helping Your Child

Talking about addiction with your child won't be easy. Neither will helping him or her through recovery. Below are some tips to help both your child and you through this difficult period:

Educate yourself — Educating yourself on the recovery process is critical. Many misconceptions surround this disease. Educating yourself helps you understand how and why your child got addicted. Doing this will prepare you for what’s to come.

Stop enabling your child — There's a fine line between helping your child and enabling him or her. Enabling makes it easy for your child to continue using drugs or alcohol. Check out these signs to determine if you’re enabling your child’s addiction.

Focus on treatment — You child's poor decision-making is what got him or her in trouble. Don't dwell on those troubles. Instead, encourage your child to recognize his or her potential and take positive actions. Also, encourage them to enter rehab, and listen to their needs and goals.

Create a bond of trust — You might be experiencing many challenging emotions once you find out your child is addicted. Negative emotions can create an atmosphere of distrust and dishonesty. Instead, prepare yourself for positive interactions and productive conversations.

Expect anger but remain calm — Your conversation with your child will not be comfortable. Prepare yourself to hear things that will shock you. He or she might even accuse you of distrust or worse. You might even discover things about yourself that will be hard to accept. Stay calm. If the conversation gets heated, end it and start again.

Set reasonable goals — Have a desired outcome in mind when first talking with your child, but keep expectations low. Don’t expect them to admit use and pledge to stop doing what they’re doing. Instead, take a one step at a time approach by setting a small, but realistic goal.

Discovering your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol is scary. In fact, it’s probably the scariest thing you’ll face as a parent.

Now, it’s time to act. The tips discussed above can help you sort things out and decide on the next steps. More importantly, they’ll help you put your child and your family back on track.

If you are still unsure of how to approach your child or need additional guidance, contact me today and I’ll be more than glad to help you on this difficult journey.

from
https://www.theliferecoverycoach.com/single-post/2018/07/27/Saving-Your-Child-6-Steps-to-Confronting-Addiction-to-Drugs-and-Alcohol

How to Choose the Right Recovery Coach to Conquer Addiction

Choosing a recovery coach is a critical decision. In fact, it's among the most critical decisions you’ll make on your journey to clean and meaningful life.

What does a Recovery Coach do?

Recovery coaches help make the process easier and boost your chances of staying in recovery beyond one year. For many, it’s the difference between recovering and not recovering.

They understand what addiction is and how it affects people. Coaches have the skill and experience to help you navigate the addiction treatment world and engage in recovery in a motivated way.

Plus, recovery coaches can walk you through hard-hitting cravings, reduce relapses by spotting the signs before a relapse occurs and accompany you to treatment- and recovery-related activities.

The Role of a Recovery Coach

Let’s be clear. Recovery coaches aren’t therapists. Nor are they sponsors or peers. They’re trained professionals with the tools and know how to help transition from addiction to recovery.

Often, coaches use a model similar to harm reduction and motivational therapy. This approach encourages positive actions designed to help you achieve a successful recovery.

But choosing a recovery coach is a challenge. There’s no “one size fits all” approach. Instead, you want a recovery coach that fits your specific needs.

7 Questions to Find the Right Recovery Coach for You

Below are seven questions you can use to help choose the right recovery coach for you. Asking them when interviewing potential recovery coaches can help you choose the right one:

Why aren’t treatment providers enough?What do you consider recovery?What skills do you bring to the job?What experience do you have with a person in recovery?What experience do you have working with addicts in crisis?How would you handle a situation that didn't go as planned?How would you deal with a client breaking the rules?

Shifting Your Thinking to Break Barriers

One of the keys to a successful coaching experience is helping you to remove the personal, social, and environmental barriers to success.

That’s imperative for recovery.

Coaches also help you shift your thinking away from limited either-or choices to other options and opportunities. Some personal skills and traits to look for in a personal recovery coach include:

Accepts your situationIs aware there are several pathways to recoverAllows you to choose your most appropriate pathNudges you toward self-empowermentHelps you stay in the present and focus on the futureIs highly action- and solutions-orientedIs collaborative, not authoritativeHelps you build responsibility and accountability for your recoveryHelps you become your own rescuerTeaches you to question faulty thinking and patterns of relapse

These are just some of the essential qualities recovery coaches should have. Above all, recovery coaches need to view you as a whole person with viable options for recovery.

Finding a recovery coach that fits your needs and has the skills and qualities mentioned above is easier said than done.

You need to do your homework to find the right coach.

But the effort Is worth it.

He or she can help make your recovery easier and boost your chances of extending it well beyond your first year.

from
https://www.theliferecoverycoach.com/single-post/2018/07/13/How-to-Choose-the-Right-Recovery-Coach-to-Conquer-Addiction