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Educating Yourself About Your Loved One’s Addiction

Regardless of the status of your loved one’s recovery program or lack thereof, I recommend to clients that they educate themselves about substance abuse to discover as much as they can on a personal level.

We all know knowledge is power, therefore the more you learn, the calmer your state of mind will be.

Concepts to Explore

Here are some concepts to consider which may help when furthering your education of your loved ones addiction issues (they are expanded upon in the original article, see below):

• Do Your Own Research on Addiction
• Be Wary of Well-Meaning Advice
• Be Mindful of Who You Talk To
• Attend Open Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings (meetings open to anyone with or without an addiction issue)
• Attend Al-Anon meetings (meetings for the friends and families of the alcoholic/addict)
• Seek Professional Counseling

Movies

Though difficult to watch, there are some insightful and informative movies that portray addiction as their central theme.
Though there are many, here are five of my favorites:

• "My Name is Bill W."
• "The Days of Wine and Roses"
• "The Basketball Diaries"
• "Crazy Heart"
• "The Miracle Worker"

Learning about addiction is scary. No two ways about it. But learn you should, if you are to be a responsible family member or friend who comes from a place of knowledge and not just emotional reactions.

If I can be of service, please visit my website www.familyrecoverysolutions.com and I invite you to explore my new book "Reclaim Your Life – You and the Alcoholic/Addict"

Reclaim Your Life – You and the Alcoholic / Addict by Carole Bennett

• Original article at the Huffington Post

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