Can The Whole Family Get on The Same Page?
Unity in a family is hard to orchestrate, especially where addiction is present. Sometimes this is because parents are elderly or a family member is t…
Natural Consequences
Without judging yourself, become aware of the consequences of your loved one’s use that you may actually like: He’s home passed out and so I’m happy to know where he is; He’s been drinking too much so at least I won’t have to have sex with him tonight... Bad consequences of drinking and drug use will lead a loved one to think about their use and to consider making a change. Negative consequences can lead to dreams of a better life or feelings of despair: A “wish” or a “dip.”
We want the loved one to feel the total effects of their use. If you step in to soften the blow, your loved one won’t feel the actual, natural consequences of their use, takes longer to learn the lesson, and the situation is likely to repeat.
A loved one who is about to make a fool of themselves? Let it happen.
Natural consequences can bring moments of insight into one’s situation and spark a hope for change.
Addiction Is Confounding, but with CRAFT There Are No Gray Areas
When drugs and alcohol take over, the family is drawn into the needs of the addiction, blamed when resources come up short, attacked when they refuse …
A Family’s Long and Difficult Battle for Sobriety
How do you walk the line between protecting your addicted loved one from potential danger while allowing the natural consequences that can lead them t…
He’s Always High! How Can I Reward Non-Use?
When your loved one is high all day long, without ever seeming to sober up, it might seem impossible to reach them and have any influence on their beh…
Can We Protect Them from Overdose?
How do you keep from encouraging further drug use by raising the bottom and protecting your loved one from overdose? How as a family member do you li…
What If He Loses the Car? How We Inadvertently Enable
A central question to ask yourself is this: is the car supporting non-use, by keeping your loved one working, or has it become an important source of …
Overdose – Who is Responsible?
Overdose deaths are skyrocketing and Narcan has become THE focus. But for the family of the opiate using loved one, Narcan is a double-edged sword.
How to Modify CRAFT for Your Loved One Using Opiates
Unsure of how to implement the CRAFT method with your opiate user? We explain how to use rewards and stepping away, even when "non-use" doesn't seem t…
Why Covering for Your Loved One Might be Counterproductive
While major calamities can create motivation to stop using, change can also be sparked by the small, more subtle events that embarrass, that shame, or…
Abstinence vs. Moderation for Those Addicted to Drugs or Alcohol
The question of “Abstinence vs. Moderation” is one that some people contemplate daily, but that many others have never considered. Your family mem…