Addiction affects not just the addict but also family and friends. Here are four ways loved ones can cope with that burden.
Photo by Raquel Raclette
What do you when a loved one is struggling with addiction? How do you react? In the Ensign article “When a Loved One Struggles with Addiction,” Corrie Lynne Player discusses four ways family and friends can help their loved one while still maintaining their own spiritual health:
- Allow consequences to occur. Love the person, but don’t condone the addiction. Family members may want to lessen the consequences of their loved one’s addiction, but the best thing to do is to let the loved one suffer the consequences of his or her actions.
- Turn to the Church. The LDS church has many resources for struggling individuals, including an Addiction Recovery Program available through LDS Family Services. This program is not just for those struggling with addiction; it also helps the friends and family of the addict.
- Extend love. Trying to shame or control the loved one will not motivate him or her to change. In fact, this behavior may even worsen the problem. An individual struggling with addiction will need your love now more than ever. Christlike love can instill hope—in you and the person with the addiction.
- Rely on the Lord. The Savior understands every struggle we go through (see Alma 7:11–12). The Atonement of Jesus Christ can help families bear all burdens, including those related to addiction. The Lord will give you the strength to overcome the difficulties that arise when a loved one struggles with addiction.
Having a close family member or friend with an addiction can be difficult, but you can still have hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Our Savior can heal us and provide the strength to overcome all things.
For more guidance, read Corrie Lynne Player’s full article: “When a Loved One Struggles with Addiction.”
Source: Ensign
—Laura Bonner Toland, Mormon Insights
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Find More Insights:
Explore the Church’s resources for the family members of individuals struggling with addiction.
Read Benjamin R. Erwin’s suggestions for overcoming addiction and the pain it causes in “Overcoming Addiction through the Atonement.”