How to Help Someone With Drug Addiction in Los Angeles
Signs of Drug Addiction
If you’re looking for information on how to help someone with drug addiction in Los Angeles you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn about ways to support someone in their recovery journey and how treatment for drug addiction works.
Drug addiction, also known as substance use disorder, can affect anyone at any time in their life. Developing a substance use disorder isn’t a character flaw or a moral failing but rather a disease that results from a complex combination of social, biological, and psychological determinants. People who develop an addiction often display similar signs regardless of the substance they’re using, such as:
- Changes in appearance such as weight gain or weight loss, bloodshot eyes, chronic bad breath
- Decreased personal hygiene
- Changes in daily routines
- Shakes, tremors, or slurred speech
- Unexplained changes in personality or attitude
- Sudden mood swings, irritability, angry outbursts
- Being fearful, anxious, or paranoid for no discernable reason
- Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors
- Sudden changes in friend groups, hangouts, or hobbies
- Risk-taking such as driving under the influence or having unprotected sex
- Neglecting work, family, or school obligations, or drop in performance
- Legal troubles such as arrests
- Money problems
Drug addiction is more prevalent than you might think, in 2020 over 14% of Americans aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder within the past year, with the highest rates for illicit drug use among groups aged 18-25 years of age. It’s also become more dangerous with the widespread use of Fentanyl within the illicit drug black market, over 72,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2017. That’s three times the number of people who died by overdose in 2002. Each one of those deaths was a preventable tragedy that left grieving families to mourn their loss.
Do’s and Dont’s Of Helping Someone With a Drug Addiction
It can be incredibly difficult to know how to help someone caught up in the throes of drug addiction. The first step should always be to seek support for yourself through an organization like Al-anon or Nar-anon, which are dedicated to supporting the families of those living with substance use disorders.
- Do seek help for yourself.
- Do read all you can on how addiction works on the body and brain. If you have never been exposed to someone with a substance use disorder, it can be excruciating to watch your loved one struggle with the symptoms of this disease. It is important to understand that addiction is not a choice, but a progressive brain disease, to let go of the hurt your loved one may have caused you.
- Learn to communicate non-judgemental statements using “I” instead of “you.” For example “I don’t feel comfortable around you when you’re drunk” rather than “You’re awful to be around when you’re drinking.”
- Do set boundaries that will protect your children, your finances, and your home, and stick to them.
- Don’t initiate talk about addiction when your loved one, or you, are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It’s difficult to understand logic and reason when you’re high, here’s an excellent guide on how and when to broach the topic of substance use and addiction.
- Don’t lie for your loved one or cover up their drug/alcohol use. Enabling your loved one to avoid the consequences of their actions will merely keep them on the path they’re traveling rather than being a catalyst for change.
- Don’t expect change to happen overnight. Recovery from addiction is a process that takes time, treatment, and therapy, your conversation with your loved one might be the first time they’ve identified a problem.
Treatment Options Available for Drug Addiction
Fortunately, we know that there are proven treatments that work to help those living with addiction overcome their disease and stay in recovery. At Novo Detox, we use evidence-based therapies to help someone stop using drugs, stay drug-free and live a productive life with family, work, and friends. Effective treatment factors in a patient’s needs, not just their drug use. No single treatment program is right for everyone, and our expert staff will build a treatment plan based on your or your loved ones’ unique needs as an individual.
Generally, programs are divided into two categories, inpatient and outpatient. It is critical to stay in treatment for an appropriate length, which varies with each individual. If you require a medical detox, you might find it beneficial to opt for an inpatient program for a 30, 60, or 90-day stay to focus on healing. If you cannot take time off of work or have school or family obligations you must be present for, one of our outpatient programs such as our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) may be your best option. An IOP is around 20 hours of therapy a week, scheduled around your school or work, with many appointments able to be done in a virtual setting.
When your loved one begins treatment at Novo Detox they will be in complete control of their recovery process at all times and can communicate with their small children or infants via facetime, should they decide that an inpatient stay best suits their particular needs.
The Importance of Getting Help for Yourself
If you yourself worry that you may be developing a substance use disorder, or you want to quit using drugs and alcohol, but you can’t seem to do so, asking for help can seem like an insurmountable obstacle. You may carry guilt and shame from things that have happened to you or have done. The right therapy programs and individualized care will help you learn to re-establish safety, work towards discontinuing substance use, let go of dangerous relationships, and gain control over extreme symptoms. The first and most important step to recovering from addiction is fostering a sense of hope within yourself. Hope and recovery are deeply interconnected, hope gives us encouragement and optimism for the future. You are not alone, and you are capable of change.
Start a Recovery Journey Today
Our staff at Novo Detox care deeply about your success in recovery and will use their combined experience of over 40 years to give you your best possible start on the road to sobriety. It may seem cliché to refer to addiction recovery as a road or journey, but it truly is a path you will travel from where you are now to the person you’re meant to be. Our small, 6-bed facility in Bel Air allows us to give you the very best of treatment with a high staff-to-patient ratio. Relax in our beautiful, well-appointed spaces or even in our pool lounge area, and allow our staff to care for you as you heal. We are proud to retain a private chef experienced in recovery nutrition who can accommodate dietary requirements like vegan or gluten-free. The time for hope in recovery is now, contact our 24/7 admissions specialist team and get started on your own path. Call (844) 834-1777 today to learn more about how to help someone with drug addiction.
