Seeing Changes in the One We Love
Anyone related to a person who uses mind-altering substances, including alcohol, sees the change. You will often observe certain behaviours when the person is under the influence and when they are not. In fact, most family members will not actually know if the person is “abusing” or “is dependent” on the substance. The following is a summary of each aspect of drug use and the actions to take in either case.
The terms “abuse” and “dependence” are often used in the subject of substance use disorder (SUD), and they describe different aspects of problematic substance use.
Substance Abuse and Dependence
Substance Abuse
- This generally refers to a pattern of using a substance in a way that is harmful or dangerous. It can include using drugs or alcohol despite negative consequences, such as legal issues, relationship problems, or health risks.
- One observes that individuals may engage in risky behaviours, fail to meet responsibilities or continue using despite knowing the harm it causes.
Substance Dependence
- Dependence is characterized by a physical or psychological need for a substance. It often involves tolerance, needing more substance to achieve the same effect. Withdrawal symptoms will appear when the person is not using the substance.
- People who are dependent may find it difficult to cut down or control their use. They often devote a substantial amount of time to acquiring, using, or recovering from the substance’s effects.
Going from abuse to dependence
As you know or may have experience with a family member or friend, the abuse stage is often short-lived. Most abusers will rapidly escalate into more frequent use. Or they will shift from beer to hard liquor, or from cocaine to crack, etc. The different ways a person will escalate from abuse to dependence vary from person to person.
There are stages of addiction, and being aware of these may help stop the progression. The scale shows the stage from experimental use to dependence or substance use disorder.
1 888-488-8434
Get immediate
help for addiction.
Stopping their Decline into Addiction
When you see a person that you care about descending into the turmoil of substance abuse, it is normal for you to want to help them. This is the empathy of human behaviour. The main difficulty that people face is that they lack the understanding of dependence. Getting a person to see that their life is spiralling out of control can be challenging.
There are some dos and don’ts when trying to help someone. There might be other challenges once you successfully get the person to see they need help. Here, you will find some key barriers you will encounter when attempting to get a person into rehab.
The main point is to not give up on the person if they don’t respond immediately. In certain cases, it may require multiple attempts.
Actions if the person still backs off from help
In some family situations, the person still refuses to accept your help. All is not lost. There are still other actions you can take. These are more drastic and will require your commitment; after all, we are speaking about a loved one’s life. The person who is still fighting your request to seek professional help may require professional interventionist services.
If after this, which normally will get the person turned around, they still say “no way,” then you will have entered the ‘tough love’ stage. Ensure you do not enable them, or this stage will backfire. This degree of care and support will test your level of true care. You will need to cut off all support. This means no money, paying off debts or creditors, bailing out, etc. In other words, the ONLY support you will give is to go to detox and rehab.
Be willing to drive them to detox, sponsor their program, or pay for personal hygiene items while in detox or rehab. These are support actions only. It is strongly advised to begin this process by speaking with an addiction referral counsellor for guidance.
Marc J. Bernard
Author,
Substance Use Disorder & Recovery Professional,
Referral & Consultation Counsellor
