Category: Treatment

When you realize a family member has a drinking problem, it can become quite unsettling, but realizing they have a problem is the first step to helping them get help for his problem. Let us look at some other ways to help a family member who is in the same dilemma.

Be supportive, instead of criticizing. Criticizing someone with an addiction will only put a barrier between you and the person because she will feel like you are judging her and her behavior. Do not use critical words, but instead use direct examples and share your feelings of how the person’s addiction is impacting your relationship with her. Express how much you care for your relative and be genuine when talking with her. Furthermore, talk calmly, instead of getting all worked up and becoming boisterous. If you become angry or heated about the topic or their alcohol usage, she will likely become defensive and not hear any of things you have to say. Also, have concrete alternatives ready to present for her issue with alcohol when you talk with her. Counseling, support groups, an intervention and inpatient treatment facilities are forms of options you can present her for her to obtain help for her alcohol addiction. Having ready alternatives available not only shows that you are serious in your wanting her to change, but it provides her an opportunity to think about the options available to her when she gets ready to make a change.

Have patience with the person. It may be hard for him to digest all of the accusations you have just thrown at him, and it may take them time to sort through the information you given about his alcohol use. It may take several conversations and loads of time for him to see things the same way you see them. Do not expect the person to be ready to change immediately. Also, do not place your expectations on your family member either. You have been thinking and processing the steps for recovery far longer than your relative, so remember to be patient with them. Allow them time to process the information you have presented him with concerning his addiction. He will have to weigh the pros and cons to determine if recovery is something he are willing to accept and participate in. Do not be disheartened if it this process takes longer than you were expecting either. Additionally, if you remain uncritical of him, it will allow the lines of communication to remain open for many conversations about treatment opportunities in the future as well. Remember, most things that turn out really good later, take patience starting out!

Ask other family members the individual trusts to talk with her as well. If the family member with a drinking problem has a good relationship with someone, they will be more likely to listen to what that person has to say regarding their alcohol problem. As many people you can have on your team, will help lead your family member toward recovery.

Do not blame yourself for your relative’s choice to drink. This issue is not something you would ever choose for your family member. So, remember, it is not your fault he is drinking or is in the situation he is currently enduring. Even if you could change the situation, he would still have other problems that are outside of your control. You are not responsible for the condition he is in, and you are not responsible for the choices and actions he has made, which led him to this point. Only the person making the choice to drink is responsible for the suffering he is enduring. You do not have as important of a role in their addiction as you think you do. You are pretty much powerless to help unless he is willing to change for himself. You can be there for support or to cheer him on toward recovery, but stop blaming yourself for something you are not in control of. Most importantly, blaming yourself does not help the problem. It only produces defeat and in order to overcome addiction, one must always have hope.

Create boundaries to prevent yourself from being hurt by your relative’s alcohol abuse. It may not be pleasurable to spend time with your family member when he has been consuming alcohol. It is acceptable to tell your relative you will not spend time with him when he has been boozing. Putting boundaries in place allows you to maintain your relationship without it being damaged by the alcohol use. Keeping boundaries allows you to keep the love for your relative instead of being sucked into the craziness and drama that typically revolves around alcohol use. Tell your loved one the boundaries you are putting into place and make sure you are consistently following through with these boundaries. Develop consequences for when the family member does not abide by the boundaries and follow through with those as well.

There are many ways to help a family member who is addicted to alcohol; too many to list here. The hope is for you to continue to research ways to best fit the needs of your family. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing your family member has a problem outside of your control, but remember, you can have a significant impact on your relative finding freedom from his drinking problem.

Often in the midst of a drug addiction, recovery seems like such an overwhelming goal, but recovery is always possible no matter your situation. Having support and getting the help you need are not as far out of reach as you might think. Do not give up on yourself, even if your attempts to quit in the past have been unsuccessful. The road to recovery is never straight. Know there will be bumps in the road, but this is part of the normal process of healing. However, you must be willing to take the first step in the recovery process and decide to make a change. When you decide you want to make a change, you have already taken one giant step forward in seeking the help you need towards your recovery.

Making adjustments in life are never easy, especially when deciding to give up something that has been a source of relief and sometimes even an entrenched habit. However, there might be many things in your life that will need modification in order for you to reach sobriety. It may be overwhelming for you to think about, but talk about it with a friend, who can encourage you and support you to seek treatment. Remember to also think about the good things that will come after you seek treatment. Try not to get caught up in past attempts to quit. Develop some specific goals you would like to reach in a specified time frame in order to quit. Remove things from your home, office, car and other places that might remind you of when you use. Most importantly, make sure you seek support from family and friends, who can help encourage you and hold you accountable while you are trying to rid yourself of drugs.

It cannot be stressed enough to pursue support during this time. You cannot overcome this addiction by yourself; you need others walking alongside you to aid you in this time. Lean on your family and friends during the time of recovery. Make some new friends that do not revolve around your drug usage. Try something new or volunteer somewhere in order to make new friends. Join a recovery group to help encourage you through this process as well. You will be able to connect to people in your recovery group who will understand what you are going through during your time of recovery.

In addition, learn new, healthy ways to cope with stress or difficulties in your life. Exercise is a healthy way to relieve stress. Getting a pet can make starting a new routine easier and shift your mind away from unhealthy life patterns. Get outside and do something you enjoy to help get away from your old habits. There are lots of healthy ways to deal with stress that can replace previous unhealthy habits

Realize that you will still have triggers and cravings despite changing your customs and finding new ways to cope. The best way to avoid triggers is to cut ties with everyone and everything that reminds you of using drugs. Avoid bars and other areas that will remind you of when you use. Be aware when you are having a medical procedure done to be upfront with your doctor before the procedure is done, so you can avoid be tempted by any medications they might prescribe you. Have a go to distraction when you have cravings. These can include exercising, going for a walk, listening to music, or anything you enjoy doing to get your mind off the craving. Call a friend to tell them you have just had a trigger or craving. Talk it through with someone you can trust to help you overcome the feeling. Instead of only remember the good feelings the drug gave you when you have a craving, remind yourself of all the negative consequences that ensued because of your drug use too.

Remember that there is no one healing system out there that works the same for everyone. Your recovery regimen should be customized to your specific needs. Seek a healing treatment plan that is the best fit for you. Also know that treatment will address more than just your drug addiction. You will be dealing with hard life issues too-things that the drug abuse has been covering up. Despite the hard topics you will be addressing, you will need to have a commitment to follow through with the treatment process. Make a commitment to stick to your treatment plan no matter what happens.

In order to effectively rid your life of drug use, you should commit to learn to enjoy things that are meaningful to you outside of your drug use. Find a hobby you enjoy and pursue it. Volunteer if it will help you feel good about yourself. Set new goals and accomplish them. Get serious about your health and taking care of your body.

Remember recovery is a process, and it will take time for you to get better, but taking the first step in seeking help allows you to step onto the road to recovery.

For those dependent upon alcohol or drugs and looking to kick their habit, South East Asia may not be the first port of call, but please think again; Thailand rehab resorts should most definitely be a consideration.

Let us first understand why you need professional rehab services, regardless of whether you take these in your own country or at an overseas rehabilitation establishment.

It is time for change:

If you are currently in, or heading towards a cycle of addiction you will have realised the damage you are doing to yourself and your loved ones. Realising such damage is one thing, admitting to it is another.

But, it is very important to understand that once you face up to, and take responsibility for your addiction issues, and the baggage your action is leaving behind it is the first crucial step in challenging your dependence problems.

This is when it is time to change your world.

Kicking your habit alone:

Before we consider the advantages of using a fully qualified, professional and extremely cost effective Thailand rehab establishment it should be pointed out that the first course of action for many addicts is to try and beat addiction on their own.

While this is an admirable route to take, it is filled with obstacles that in the majority of cases will derail your efforts to stay ‘clean’.

It is important to understand that this is not because you are weak, it is simply because the tolerance your body and mind have built up to your drug of choice mean they demand more of the same on a crushingly regular basis.

There is also a strong likelihood that you will have the distractions of being in the same social surroundings that helped begin, and continue to cement your love/hate relationship with your ‘poison’ of choice.

Such an environment and the ease of which illicit substances are freely available to you mean the slightest set-back, or temptation you are given will be the best excuse ever for ‘just one more hit’.

Addiction is easy to achieve, beating it is far more challenging!

Make no mistake, the illegal substances that are readily available on the street are ruthless. They will give you a cracking high, they will leave you feeling at ease with the world and of course, you will feel you can control your use and abuse.

If only this was the case! The payback is that your body and mind quickly build up a tolerance to such drugs and the vicious circle begins.

This tolerance begins a very hungry habit. The brain demands feeding, but because it continues to be fed, it needs more of the drug to achieve the same high as your last hit.

Simple solution: Take more!

As sure as day follows night, the more you take the more you need, the more you need the more you want.

No get out of jail free card:

Many already realise and many millions more will quickly find out that once your body is dependent upon and expecting its next ‘feed’, you will not be able to simply step away from it and stop use.

Withdrawal symptoms will remind you of this in a nagging, nauseous and not very nice way. The solution to curbing such withdrawal symptoms is either to “get back on it” or take the route that is inevitable:

Inpatient rehabilitation services:

Professional help is required if you are to face, challenge and beat your addiction problems. Here are some of the reasons why Thailand rehab resorts should be strongly considered.

Professional, qualified staff:

It goes without saying that those suffering from alcohol or drug addiction need the assistance of caring, professional and qualified staff. The luxury rehab resorts you will encounter overseas are based along exactly the same lines as your in-country options in terms of treatment, counselling and qualified staff, but they also give a whole host of additional benefits.

Challenging and caring:

While overseas rehab resorts offer idyllic settings and luxurious comfort, this alone will not resolve your addiction problems.

You need to receive caring, professional help from staff that fully understand the issues and challenges you face.

Such staff will have the knowledge, skills and presence to challenge you and your current problems in a way that will help you realise the extent of the problem, the damage it is doing to you from a physical and psychological point of view, the unnecessary heartache you are causing to your loved ones, and the steps required to overcome such challenges.

Out of your environment into tranquility:

Your current environment is not conducive to kicking a habit. By remaining in an often sterile environment this will do little to aid your efforts, indeed it simply adds fuel to the fire in terms of temptations and opportunities when it comes to relapsing.

The tropical and idyllic settings of a Thailand rehab recovery resort are exactly the opposite. They will give you a chance of a new start in a fresh, exciting and exhilarating setting, and such a setting will help prepare you to face the personal mountains you need to climb in beating your addiction in the short term, and then laying a solid foundation for long term rehabilitation assistance.

Tranquil surroundings, internal angst:

Please do not fool yourself that withdrawal and staying “clean” for the long term is an easy ride, but climbing and overcoming your initial withdrawal and angst issues is a far more achievable task if your surroundings give a calm and peaceful environment to do so.

Thailand rehab resorts offer such a setting over and over and over again.

Physical, Psychological, Spiritual:

Luxury rehab resorts will address your problems through physical exercises that are within your reach, they will help you explore the psychological reasons as to why alcohol or substance abuse has overtaken your life, and calming spiritual teaching is offered as part of your recovery process.

Cost effective care – Prompt attention:

Luxury overseas rehab resorts are often thought of as a bridge too far in terms of cost for many who have an addiction problem, or for those who feel their use of alcohol and/or illicit substances has taken a step too far.

THINK AGAIN: In many cases the cost of such care is far cheaper than in your own country, if appropriate it can be supported by medical insurance policies, and you will be entering a brand new environment with a fresh feel and ambience.

This on its own lends itself to positive thoughts, total encouragement and a determination you will find falls into place thanks to the surroundings and settings you will gladly expose yourself to.

THINK AGAIN: Waiting lists are the bane of anyone who has made a very hard and conscious decision to finally admit they want to quit their drug of choice.

When such a decision is made, this can and should be a monumental time of your life.

The last thing an addict needs is to be told: “Yes”, we understand you have a problem, join the queue, we will be back to you in 3, 6, 9 months’ time.

In the vast majority of cases, anyone contacting a Thailand rehab resort in need of care, professional attention and a real opportunity to beat their addiction in both the short and long term will be offered a placement that ensures treatment begins very quickly.