Helping a Loved One with Substance Abuse: Signs and Support Strategies

Addiction hurts everyone it touches. This includes the addict, certainly, but also all of the people who care about them. If you care about someone who is suffering from substance abuse, you likely feel anxious, even helpless. 

But while the situation is difficult, there are ways you can offer help as a support system. In this article, we take a look at how you can recognize the signs of substance abuse, and provide help. 

History of Substance Abuse

The modern conversation around addiction began to develop in the late 1700s. It was then that Dr. Benjamin Rush began discussing alcoholism as a disease that required careful treatment. Rush— who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence— helped usher in the Temperance Movement— a widespread social attitude that encourages the avoidance of drugs and alcohol. 

In the 1800s early rehab centers began to emerge. Special homes that were designed to serve as places for alcoholics to go and detox. These spaces emphasized the perceived moral imperatives of sobriety— a talking point that would only continue to gain traction when churches began contributing to the sobriety movement at the beginning of the 20th century. 

In 1935, the Blue Book was first published, and Alcoholics Anonymous took off. It would grow to six-figure membership numbers in just fifteen years. 

The conversation continued to evolve throughout the 20th century as the American Medical Association officially recognized alcoholism as a disease. That was a major development in the world of healthcare. Insurance began to recognize and offer coverage for addiction treatment services. Thousands of doctors and nurses dedicated to treating addiction entered the workforce as it became easier than ever for people to receive high-quality care. 

And yet, rates of addiction continued to climb as access to abusable substances skyrocketed. The 80s brought with them the crack epidemic. Since then opioids, pharmaceuticals, and now, fentanyl have taken the world by storm. 

While the conversation surrounding addiction shifts over time, there are constants that serve as a throughline. Addiction is a disease that afflicts millions of people all over the world, damaging not just their lives but the lives of people around them. 

How Can You Recognize the Signs of Addiction in a Loved One?

Recognizing addiction in a loved one takes time. Usually, suspicions begin through observation. Perhaps you notice that someone always drinks excessively, even in situations where other people are not. This is typically followed by observed behaviors that extend toward other aspects of their lives. 

People suffering from addiction:

• Behave erratically: Drugs and alcohol change your brain chemistry in a way that can create feelings of depression and anxiety. Often, these feelings are observable in an addict’s behavior. Erratic decisions, sudden weight loss (or gain), or a significant change in sleep patterns can all indicate struggles with addiction. 
• Display physical symptoms: Excessive stumbling, unexplained cuts or bruises, red eyes, diminished sexual function, and even cold symptoms are substance abuse indicators.
• Evasive behavior: Addicts often adopt evasive behavior patterns as a way of covering up their struggles with substance abuse. This could involve lying or otherwise behaving unusually to obscure truths. 

The list of addiction indicators can run long. The unifying symptom? Sudden, unexplainable change. When someone radically modifies their behavior in ways that are concerning for the other people in their lives, it generally indicates some type of problem. 

How Can You Help a Loved One Struggling with Addiction?

Once you recognize addiction in someone you care about, your impulse will be to do everything in your power to help them. While said powers are ultimately limited, one of the first and most powerful steps you can take is to have a conversation with them. 

Many people do this in the form of an intervention. What are interventions?

Interventions are carefully planned gatherings in which friends and family members congregate to present their concerns. While interventions may feel dramatic or even excessively confrontational, they have proven benefits. 

For one thing, they demonstrate a unified front to the person experiencing addiction. Through an intervention, the sufferer knows that everyone in their life is aware of what is happening and will no longer supply enabling behaviors. 

Interventions also force people with addiction to recognize the full scope of the damage their actions have produced. 

People with addiction deceive themselves as much as they do the other people in their lives. Often, interventions force them to take an honest look at their actions for the first time. 

Around 80% of people on the receiving end of an intervention elect to seek treatment immediately. The remaining 20% are often shown to accept treatment within a month of their intervention. 

Addiction is a Mental Illness

People who suffer from addiction experience a very real change in their brain chemistry. The chemical reactions generated in their brain very literally shift so that they can no longer derive the same pleasure they used to from everyday stimulation. 

Their brain becomes obsessively fixated on achieving the stimulation derived from whatever it is they are addicted to. 

Addiction often co-exists with other forms of mental illness. For example, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder are all strongly correlated with addictive behaviors. 

While the reason behind this connection is not completely clear there are prevailing theories. For one thing, many addictive substances are depressants. You might feel good while you are drinking, but the next day, you often won’t. 

Why? Alcohol interferes with the neurotransmitters responsible for endorphin release. That means that the chemicals in your brain responsible for creating feelings of happiness are effectively turned off when you are engaging in binge cycles. 

It’s also believed that some people struggling with other forms of mental illness will gravitate toward psychoactive substances as a way of trying to cope with their struggles. 

What is the Difference Between Abuse and Addiction?

Abuse simply refers to any behavior that results in the excessive use of drugs or alcohol. Binge drinking is always considered a form of alcohol abuse. However, that does not mean that everyone who binge drinks is an alcoholic. 

Addiction, on the other hand, is a psychological compulsion. It describes an ongoing urge to participate in behaviors that generate a reward response in your brain. 

Some substances (alcohol, nicotine, many drugs) contain chemicals that naturally produce an addiction response in the people who use them. 

However, said chemicals do not need to be present in a substance or activity for a person to experience addiction. Addicts respond to reactions that take place in their brain chemistry. It’s an endorphin release. That is why people can become addicted to activities like sex or gambling. 

How Many People Suffer from Addiction?

An estimated 20 million Americans struggle with addiction. That accounts for about 10% of the adult population. That number has been rising steadily over the last twenty years— particularly in the wake of the opioid epidemic. 

Almost one million Americans have died from drug overdoses in the 21st century. That number has risen dramatically over the last 70 years. In 1970, 5000 drug-related deaths were recorded in the United States. In 2020, there were almost 92,000.

Is Addiction Permanent?

True addiction is considered a chronic condition. People in addiction support groups typically describe themselves as being “in recovery,” regardless of how long they have been sober. A lifelong dedication to sobriety is very difficult for people with addiction to manage. However, making that commitment is the surest way to avoid the destructive relapse cycle that plagues addicts and their loved ones. 

Can Addicts Use Substances They Aren’t Addicted To?

True recovery generally requires complete temperance. People in Alcoholics Anonymous or similar recovery programs are required to remain completely sober to retain their time. 

While some people may take slightly different approaches to their sobriety journey, it’s important to recognize that most addicts are addicted not just to one substance, but also to the endorphin release produced by excessive behaviors. 

Conclusion

It’s important to recognize your limitations. No matter how attentive and caring you are, you can’t keep someone from abusing substances if they are determined to do it. More than half of all people in recovery will relapse. 

Even people who achieve lasting sobriety will stumble. The average person with long-term sobriety took two or more tries to find a routine that worked for them. 

Some people will try and fail many times before achieving success. 

The best thing you can do as a loved one is to remain supportive and encouraging. Ultimate success or failure is in the person with addiction’s hands.