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How to confront an adult child about heroin addiction

On Behalf of | Nov 13, 2017 | Blog

Parents need to play an active role in their children’s lives, even into adulthood. There are numerous signs of a heroin addiction, including slowed breathing, extreme nausea, dry mouth and flushed skin. 

One of the hardest things for a parent to do is simply talking to a child about heroin addiction. Before a person can receive treatment for an addiction, someone needs to confront him or her about it. There are several ways to go about this delicately. 

Prepare accordingly

There are a few ways to get ready for this discussion. First, you need to understand why this discussion is vital. Look for detrimental behaviors and bring them up to prove your point. It is beneficial to write a script beforehand so that you do not have to fumble about what to say. It is also good to research rehab facilities before the conversation so that you can bring them up during the conversation if the addict seems open to that idea. 

Offer compassion

The last thing you want to do is be overly accusatory during the confrontation. You do not want to come across as angry. Instead, you want to show how the addiction affects your child and loved ones in a real way. You want to show you are there to help, not judge or enable. You also want to confront the person when he or she is sober. You are not going to receive any results if you confront the person while he or she is on a bender. 

Think about having an intervention

Some people prefer confronting an addict one-on-one. Others prefer to have a full-scale intervention. Before doing an intervention, you should see a professional therapist who can offer advice on conducting an intervention successfully. Interventions can be a bit more intense than a private conversation, but sometimes, they can be a much more effective solution in getting a loved one to seek help.