Can they quit on their own?

More often than not a serious problem that comes up when a person says “I can quit on my own”. Professional referral counselors will hear this from family members that have called to help a substance abusers. The family member will tell us, after the initial call, that their son, daughter, husband or wife decided to quit drugs on their own. That they can go through the withdrawal stage and just quit. Unfortunately, the family member agrees to this. Which often has very negative consequences. The story goes pretty much like this in many families.

When it’s getting out of hand

The day has come, you have decided that enough is enough and your son or daughter need to be talked to about their substance abuse. Maybe you knew about it and thought it would handle itself. Possible you child was still in school just experimenting the use of alcohol or another mind altering drugs. But it got out of hand and now you decided it is the time to deal with it.

The talk

Many parents will simply find the “right time” to speak to the addict about their abuse. Even if your intentions are good, it does not guarantee that the addict will be ready to listen or act. But when you do get a moment to sit with your loved one to talk about their abuse or addiction to any mind altering substance, chances are they will be quite agreeable. This is especially true if it’s a minor or someone who has not lost their respect for you, yet. The person will most likely be very ashamed and regretful of their actions and tell you that they will change. There is a good chance that you will buy into their “I’m so sorry and will now change”. Once this has been done and your guard is down it’s quite certain they will begin their abuse with more caution not to raise suspicion.

Loss of control

Addiction is basically a habit that the person has lost control over and can no longer give up no matter the consequences. Stopping substance abuse can be quite painful, physically and emotionally. Sooner or later you and your family will put your foot down and intervene. Giving the person an ultimatum and telling them they’re going to treatment. In many situations the addict will be very defensive and may counter this decision of yours. This is especially true if the person is dependent on you or the family for their food, shelter and personal existence. Their reluctance is simply based on the fear of the unknown with regards to rehab. At this point the person with substance abuse will offer up a solution to avoid leaving the comforts of his location. This solution is that they will attempt to convince mom, dad and any other member of the family that they can quit on their own. Unfortunately too many relatives agree to this proposition.

Professionals in the field

Depending of the severity of the abuse, the pain and sometimes the life threatening side effects of withdrawal are not easily faced by parents. Withdrawal is only properly dealt with by professionals in the field. It is strongly advised that any family member, dealing with addiction, seek a professional health care provider. If only to safely withdraw them from mind altering drugs (street drugs or medical drugs) or alcohol. For further aid you can contact a referral counselor to help you with this issue; call 1-888-488-8434.