Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, no matter the holiday you are celebrating now they are bound to be fraught with emotion. This is especially true if you have a loved one in the family with an addiction.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey, 18.3 million people, 12 or older, were classified with either a drug dependence or abuse issue. A family or friend lives with this addiction as well.
How do you know if your loved one has an addiction or is just going through a phase? Look at All PsychOnline for the DSM-IV criteria to get an idea if a person has either a substance abuse or substance dependence disorder. The DSM-IV is a manual used by the behavioral health field to form diagnostic impressions.
With substance abuse the person might ignore important social and family obligations, use substances even when they are physically dangerous or a danger such as drinking and driving, For substance dependence, the person develops a tolerance. For example, drinking four beers to feel intoxicated might turn into eight beers just to create that same level of intoxication. They may use more and more frequently and a great deal of time may be spent either using the substance, obtaining it, or recovering from the effects of the substance used. They may give up friends who do not use, work and social activities, as the addiction begins to take consume greater amounts of time. There may be personality changes, symptoms of withdrawal, and an overall decline in functioning as time goes on.
Bring any questions you might have to your doctor. Doing the research will help you define the problem you are facing. The loved one needs to be addressed, boundaries set, and your expectation for that person to get treatment needs to be defined. To find treatment centers you may use the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator.
You may also contact your insurance company for referrals to treatment centers covered by your plan.
If you have said to yourself, "this can't go on, I can't live this way any more," you are right. No one remains healthy and stable when in a relationship with someone who has an addiction.
Does an intervention needs to be done when a loved one is gambling, drinking, using drugs, or displaying behaviors which are harmful to them and to everyone around them? Are you scared to approach that person or too angry? You and your family must sit down and discuss this issue. Write down the problems you have observed and any questions you might have. Decide if you need other help such as a therapist.
The holidays should not be a reason to postpone getting the help that your family and your loved one needs. You may worry that this means your loved one will be in treatment during the holidays, lonely, uncared for, and believing you have abandoned them. In fact, you have done the only thing that might benefit them by deciding that this chaotic and destructive behavior be addressed. It truly might be a reason to celebrate.