Addiction is a disease that not only affects you but it also affects your close friends and family around you. Once you are addicted, it is difficult for you to notice how other around you reacts to your disease. Whether it is substance abuse, drug addiction, or addiction to prescription medication, it changes your everyday life in a way that it makes it harder for others to interact with you. Daily temperaments and mood swing make it difficult for your loved ones and caring for you is made that much harder. Without the proper treatment, you can cause others to fall apart without even noticing any change.
For the friends and family members of those who are going through this terrible process, it is important to show your love and talk to them as often as possible. Neglecting them will make you feel worst and that is not a good thing for them either. As a caring person it can take a toll on you as many of you are not trained to handle such behavior, but with proper encouragement and help, you can make them understand how important their well being is to you. Often friends and family members feel helpless and as a result they too slip slowly into depression. It is not a healthy environment and you must keep in mind that you can only do so much.
As a support, be there for them but take care of your self first. If need be, you too should seek some professional help so that you are made aware of how to handle the situation without it affecting you so much. It is a hard disease to deal with and without the right medical attention, both you and the loved one you are trying to help will suffer certain consequences.
