![\"tips-for-loving-an-addict\"](\"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/tips-for-loving-an-addict.jpg\")
<\/p>\nValentine’s Day may be a time for romance and love for most people. However, there are some who may be going through the exact opposite. This is what being in love with an addict can be.<\/p>\n
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Being in love with an addict is no walk in the park. In fact, it’s far from it. The relationship can be filled with uncertainty and chaos. Family members and loved ones are not spared from the addiction. There’s the fear, embarrassment, helplessness, hopelessness, despair, confusion, guilt, and anger, among many other emotions.<\/p>\n
Like other conditions, you may only have found about your loved one’s addiction later on, after many months or even years into the relationship. Or your loved one may have developed the addiction while in the relationship, changing them and the relationship.<\/p>\n
Either way, the realization and the accompanying devastation can be overwhelming. Then there are the accompanying health, economic, and legal problems as your addicted loved ones will do anything to support their habit, but would have a hard time admitting that they have a problem.<\/p>\n
So as someone in love with an addict, what are you supposed to do?<\/p>\n
Here are tips on what you can do if you’re in love with an addict.<\/p>\n
1. Face the reality.\u00a0<\/strong>Acknowledge that there is a problem and that it won’t magically get better unless something is done about it. Know that addiction is a disease that needs to be treated.<\/p>\n 2. Love the addict, but don’t forget yourself.\u00a0<\/strong>Loving an addicted person can lead to a dysfunctional relationship, but you have to maintain healthy boundaries for yourself. Look after your own self, but be sure not to enable the addict.<\/p>\n 3. You can’t control the person.\u00a0<\/strong>You can’t change the addict, and you can’t expect that they will stop what they are doing if they really love you.<\/p>\n 4. Stop enabling.\u00a0<\/strong>Look at how you interact with the addict. Don’t enable them by letting them continue their addiction without experiencing the full extent of the consequences that go with it. For example, don’t keep giving them money to buy drugs and alcohol, and also avoid having money and other valuables lying around for them to get or steal and pawn or sell.<\/p>\n 5. Don’t give in to manipulation.\u00a0<\/strong>Addicts don’t like to hear the word “no.” They don’t like it when people tell them what to do, especially when it means they shouldn’t do what they want. And so, they would do anything to keep their habit, even if it means lying, deceiving, betraying, and manipulating you. You can say “no” and once you say it, you must hold your ground.<\/p>\n 6.\u00a0 Step out of your comfort zone.\u00a0<\/strong>Perhaps you’ve let the addiction and the addict go this far is because it is easier for you to enable. You don’t realize this, but your life may be so consumed by the addict that you’re just settling for it. Step out of your comfort zone, even if it means separating from them.<\/p>\n 7. Take care of yourself.\u00a0<\/strong>Don’t forget to love yourself too. Know your needs and understand that you can only be responsible for yourself.<\/p>\n 8. Reach out for help.<\/strong> You can’t do it alone. And you can’t also let things get so out of hand–because when it comes to addiction, things can really get from bad to worse very quickly. Seek help from your own family and friends. You may also consider having a professional on board or making your addicted loved one enter a rehab facility such as Bridges of Hope.<\/p>\n
\nThe sooner you reach out for help, the better it is for everyone. So don’t hesitate, give us a call: 09175098826.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"