As a parent, it must be heartbreaking to see your son living in the cycle of addiction. You are not alone in your struggles to figure out how to help save your child. Before you drive yourself crazy, you need to know something. Your son is not going to get past their addiction issues until they are ready to admit they have a problem. You can try to intervene, but ultimately, it’s they that have to decide when enough is enough.
Once they do indicate they are ready to fight back against their addiction, that’s when you can step in and be helpful and supportive. If you can, encourage your son to get themselves into a good rehab center. You can let them know it’s the only way they can arrest their addiction because other methods just simply don’t work. By way of giving them information, you can let them know that treatment for addiction is a three-step process.
The steps are detox therapy and aftercare program participation. Depending on the extent of your son’s addiction, they might need to go through a medically monitored detox program. These programs exist to help addiction sufferers get past their cravings and withdrawal symptoms as safely as possible. This is important because some withdrawal symptoms can be very dangerous.
As a point of reference, here are some common withdrawal symptoms that longtime drug users and alcoholics might encounter:
- Difficulty with their respiratory system
- Sudden increases in blood pressure and heart rate
- Seizures, tremors, and convulsions
- Severe muscle cramping
- Profuse sweating
- Loss of motor control and the ability to concentatre
- Hallucinations and nightmares
- Psychosis
After detoxing, your son would need to go through therapy, This would be your son’s opportunity to figure out the underlying reasons behind their drug use. After becoming enlightened, they can begin working on developing better coping and life skills. These are the types of skills they will need to say sober. After treatment, there is a chance your son will still need a little additional help and guidance. They could get that help through aftercare programs. Moving into a sober living home is something you might recommend to your son if you feel they are not ready to return home. Let’s discuss that further,
About Sober Living
Sober living is a concept that involves recovering addicts living together in a group facility. Each resident is both an independent individual but responsible to the group. As such, sober living homes provide certain freedoms built around very strict rules. The rules exist to protect each client for the benefit of themselves and others. Common sober living rules include,
- Maintaining employment and paying rent on time
- Zero tolerance for alcohol or drug use without a prescription and the house manager’s knowledge
- Willingness to submit to random drug testing
- Participation in recovery programs like AA or NA, or a continuation of outpatient treatment
- No inappropriate behavior around other residents
- Must maintain chores around the home
These rules are in place to protect your son and help them develop structure in their life. If you would like to help your son find a sober living home, here are a couple of things you can do.
Seek Rehab Facility Referral
Most rehab facilities work very closely with the sober living community. They know where the houses are located, who the managers are, and usually know about bed availability. After working with your son for a month or two, your son’s therapist will likely be able to refer you to a good sober living in the area you choose.
Use the Internet
Sober living homes don’t advertise. However, they do maintain comprehensive websites with contact information. If you wanted to inquire on behalf of your son, that would not be a problem. They can tell you about the rental cost, rules, amenities, and the house’s philosophy towards recovery. We hope you find this information helpful. You are to be commended for caring enough to help your son. If your son has not yet been through treatment, we would like to offer our services. You or your son can contact one of our staffers by calling 844-639-8371. We would be happy to discuss our facility or services with either you or your son. It’s also possible that we could guide you to someone in the sober living community.