Concerned about a friend or relative struggling with addiction? You’re not alone. A support group now meets weekly and you are invited to participate
Healing Families is a support group sponsored by the DeKalb County Drug Court program for family members of loved ones battling addiction. It is located at Haven of Hope Counseling 612 S Congress Blvd Smithville, TN and Free to the Public! The support group meets Thursday’s at 5:30pm.
One of the most honorable of human instincts is the desire to help others, especially those who hold the closest spots in our hearts. Parents want to help their children achieve success in school. Spouses want to help each other through all the challenges that life brings their way. Friends want to help each other in their professions or in other personal relationships. Unfortunately, though, this well-meaning gesture can implode disastrously when addiction is part of the equation.
When you help someone, you do something for them that they are not capable of doing themselves. However, when you enable someone, you do for them something they could and should be doing for themselves. In simple terms, when you enable someone who is suffering from addiction (whether drugs or alcohol) you are creating an atmosphere in which the addict can comfortably continue in their improper behavior.
Karen Khaleghi, Ph.D. writes in The Anatomy of Addiction, “By stepping in to “solve” the addict’s problems, the enabler takes away any motivation for the addict to take responsibility for his or her own actions. Without that motivation, there is little reason for the addict to change. Enablers help addicts dig themselves deeper into trouble. If the person suffering from addiction that you are enabling is in treatment, then you, too, should take part in the process. If they are not in treatment, you should explore your own issues, either with a personal counselor or through a support group. Don’t help the people you care about dig their own graves!”
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