Asking a Loved One for Help with these 4 Tips Ensures you get Support while in Methadone Maintenance Treatment

During the course of your drug addiction, its very likely you pushed away your family and friends. It’s extremely difficult to maintain a steady relationship with another person when you are always putting drugs first.

However, now that you’re thinking about your future and getting the help you need, it’s time to try and forge new bonds with your loved ones. Recovering from addiction is not an easy process, and it’s important to have as many people on your side as possible.

Typically, methadone maintenance treatment lasts anywhere from six months to a few years. That’s a long period of maintaining sobriety without someone looking out for you. Here are four ways to ask your loved ones for help during your treatment.

1. Start With Someone Less Close to You First

Your loved one may still be upset with you for your past actions while on drugs.

In many cases, asking your family for help right away might be seriously daunting.

Don’t let yourself succumb to this fear. Instead, gain some confidence by confiding in someone less close first.

This can include a number of people, such as:

Clergy person or other religious leader
Health care provider
Casual acquaintances

Of course, one of the best ways to confide in someone is to call a hotline. In particular, our hotline is filled with trained and caring professionals who will listen to your story with an open mind and offer you personalized treatment advice. Call us at 800-678-5931(Who Answers?) to confide in us.

2. Prepare for Anger

Chances are, your loved ones might have some negative feelings towards you depending on how severely drugs altered your behavior.

They might be mad because you stole money from them, or because you shirked your responsibilities.

To prepare yourself, keep in mind that these reactions are all because of the drugs you took. Even if a person is blaming you in particular, what they are really blaming is the drugs that were previously in your life.

Don’t let these reactions turn you away. Your family members might just need time to cool down and accept the fact that you are changing who you are.

3. Make Amends

Along the same lines, you should be willing to make amends for your past faults. Even if drugs were to blame, you still have to take responsibility for the hurt and pain you caused as a result.

Start by compiling a list of all the things you’ve done wrong. If you stole any money, try to pay it back or at least acknowledge that you will pay it back over time.

If you were rude and aggressive, apologize as much as you can and promise that you will never be that way again.

The Importance of Your Support Network in Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Methadone maintenance treatment encompasses an array of treatment interventions, each one working towards the overall goal of long-term abstinence from opiate use. Developing a support network along the way becomes an essential part of this recovery approach. While methadone treatment offers considerable support in terms of helping you overcome drug-using urges, opiate addiction lives on ….

4. Ask Them to Listen to Your Problems, Plans, and Fears

What you really need during this time is someone to be there for you during all the rough patches. Therefore, it’s important to ask your loved ones if they are up to the task.

Be straightforward about the help you will need along the way. Make it clear that it won’t be easy being a part of this crazy ride.

They may be willing to help, but are uncertain how or what to do. If possible, provide them with a list of things they can do, say, and provide for you during your journey. Remind them that though you’re trying, you might be tempted to relapse – and it will be their job to stop you.

If your lucky, your friends and family will appreciate your strength and determination, and they’ll be glad to help.

Of course, these aren’t the only ways to ask someone for help. It all depends on your unique situation and how close you are or were with your family and friends. For more advice on finding ways to get support from those close to you, call us today at 800-678-5931(Who Answers?) .