It may, at times, feel like friends and family members can do little to help the addict at any stage in the process of recognition, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. This is a rather defeatist attitude, however, as just the support of the family members or friends actually being there, talking to the addict can help immensely. The addict is likely to feel guilty, depressed, lonely, isolated and a whole host of other emotions and it helps them a great deal to know that, despite everything he’s done, his friends and family are still there for him. There are a variety of things that friends and family members should know about addiction and the whole process of addiction recovery, from first recognition of the problem, to on-going recovery treatment and counselling. It is this knowledge that can provide the necessary help and support that the addict will need as he embarks upon the long road to recovery.

Addiction can show itself in many ways. The addict may suddenly change from being mild-mannered and friendly to being aggressive, rude or antisocial. Behavioural changes in a person may indicate a problem of some kind. Addicts may also show other negative behaviours such as stealing or refusing to participate in normal family interactions. Family members should keep an eye out for sudden changes in behaviour or the way the person reacts to certain questions. When questioned about strange behaviour, addicts will often become defensive or even aggressive. It is for this reason that when confronting someone suspected of abusing drugs , care should be taken to avoid harm being done to the addict or others around him. It is very easy to push the addict further into isolation and away from those who care about him. This needs to be avoided if any discussion of addiction treatment and recovery is to be undertaken. It helps immensely if some way can be found to get the addict to admit he has a problem. If the addict wants to seek help, it makes the process of beginning some kind of addiction treatment program so much easier.