He’s Relapsing Right Now, Should he Leave Home?
If, as family members, we wait around for a 100% commitment from our loved one, we will almost certainly be waiting a long time. Family members must m…
Category: 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.
She Wants to Borrow the Car…And We’re Uneasy
She agreed to treatment for alcohol and is heading home soon. But she'll need transportation when she starts working again. Where does CRAFT stand on …
Treatment, Relapse, now Jail
A mother called the police when her addicted daughter stole her car. Now the daughter is in jail and furious, blaming her parents. What next?
If Suicide Is a Risk, How Can We Help?
When an addicted loved one alludes to or even threatens suicide, the family can feel paralyzed. Is the risk real or are they being manipulative? How …
Just Out of Rehab and Drinking
Recovery is a bumpy process and relapse is very often part of it. Sticking with the CRAFT approach will help your loved one reach their goal of contin…
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…
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…