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In some treatment programs, families may not be told about all the potential options for their loved one struggling with addiction, especially medications to treat withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
In the next episode of the Partnership’s year-long YouTube video series, Kathleen and her family discuss how medication for their daughter’s addiction changed the trajectory of her recovery.
“In the many sober-living homes and outpatient programs, not one doctor, not one psychiatrist, not one person suggested our daughter might need medication,” says Kathleen, a peer parent coach at Partnership to End Addiction.
Medications can help the brain heal. This allows someone struggling with substances to focus on a healthier return to their life activities, responsibilities and relationships, without substances getting in the way.
To truly make progress, Kathleen and her family had to find their own path through common but rarely helpful messages to a more effective and practical approach for helping their family member.
“I was told I was co-dependent, I was told that I was an enabler and that’s when I began my own research,” Kathleen says. “The whole ‘tough love’ thing is really a big misconception. We did not have to kick her to the curb but we could love her, we could get her medication and we could keep her alive.”
You can watch this episode and previous episodes here on drugfree.org as we cover new topics and feature a variety of voices and stories in this new video series.
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