Dealing With Addicted Loved Ones When You're Sober

Posted on: 26 May 2016

There are many challenges you'll have to deal with on your path to overcoming addiction, but perhaps the most difficult is learning to contend with friends or family members who may be still using drugs. If you want to avoid relapsing, however, you'll need to develop a plan for coping with the temptations drug users in your social circle may bring into your life. Here are a couple of tips for managing this situation.

Minimize Contact

Depending on your relationship with the people in your life, it may be a good idea to churn your social network and trade your drug using friends and family members for people who are clean and sober. While it is possible your loved ones who use drugs will respect your decision to get sober, it's equally possible there will be people who secretly oppose the idea.

It's not because they are bad people. More likely, it may be these people see your attempt at overcoming addiction as a threat to and/or judgment of their way of life. As a result, they may not be able to provide the support you need to stay on track.

People are often influenced by those they are in constant contact with. Therefore, if it's not feasible or desirable to eliminate the addicts from your life, it's probably best to minimize contact with them. Move into a sober home or avoid places where you normally hang out, for example. Your loved ones may feel upset about this. Tell your friends and family members that, while you still love them, it's important to your sobriety that you avoid being in places where drug use may occur or around people who are actively using because it may cause you to relapse.

Set Boundaries

Another thing you'll want to do is set boundaries with people who use drugs. For instance, if your friends want to hang out with you, make it clear you don't want them to bring or use drugs at social gatherings or you will not be going to places where drug activity occurs. It may also be a good idea to bring a sober friend along or have the number to someone who will help extricate you from the situation if your friends don't abide by your rules.

It can be difficult to set and enforce boundaries with people you love because it can fundamentally change your relationship dynamic with them. They may get angry and lash out or try to guilt trip you into relaxing the rules for them. At the end of the day, you have to put your sobriety ahead of the relationship if you want to save your own life.

For more tips or help with dealing with addicts in your life when your sober, contact a treatment center in your area by going to websites like this: changing target

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