How to Help a Drug Addict Daughter

It can be difficult to discover that a family member has an addiction, especially when it’s your child. But it’s important that you provide the support they need to assist them on their path to sobriety. Learn how to help a drug addict daughter properly so you can best aid her in recovery.

Magnolia Recovery is a safe, temptation-free environment outside of Charleston, SC for women to work through the 12-steps. Contact us to learn more.

It’s Not Your Fault

As a parent of an addicted child, you might feel like their addiction is your fault. You need to eliminate this way of thinking, as it certainly is not. If you’re expressing this line of thinking to your daughter, it will put more stress and guilt on her, which will likely hinder her recovery. Believing that this is your fault will also make the situation about you, when the focus needs to be on her. Of course, it’s ok to be upset, but you should seek out an alternative outlet—whether that be a close friend or a therapist—to talk about what you’re feeling and how to manage your emotions during this difficult time.

Don’t Enable

There is a distinct line between enabling and helping someone who is addicted. It’s important that you know and eliminate enabling behaviors so that you can help your child the right way. Enabling includes the following:

• Making excuses for her behavior. When your child acts out because of her addiction, you should not make up excuses to cover for her. Otherwise, she will never realize that her actions have consequences.

• Keeping her addiction a secret from others. Similarly, you’re enabling when you downplay or keep her illness a secret from others. This is a form of denial.

• Taking over her responsibilities. For instance, some responsibilities include paying her bills or doing her chores. You likely are keeping up with her responsibilities to prevent her life from falling apart. However, this takes away any sense of accountability. She needs to experience the consequences of neglecting responsibilities to realize she has to make a major change.

• Being overly controlling. Placing strict rules and restrictions on your daughter will not cure her addiction. She has to learn on her own that her addiction is a problem and then change her behavior.

Help Her Seek Treatment

When your daughter is ready to get help for her addiction, you should assist her in finding treatment. Not only does this show her your support, but it helps ease this initial step that can be quite difficult to take alone. Having a plan in place for her recovery will help relieve a little bit of both her and your stress.

Listen to Her

Throughout treatment, you need to be there for your daughter. When she wants to talk, lend an objective ear. Try not to coach her, but rather offer words of support and encouragement, especially when she’s struggling. Having someone on her side that is rooting for her—and not judging her—will help her feel stronger during her recovery.

There is Hope in Sobriety

We hope you better understand how to help a drug addict daughter. When she’s ready for help, Magnolia Farm can provide a calm, tranquil environment in which to pursue sobriety. Here, she’ll join like-minded women searching for a peaceful, sober life, and work through the 12 Step program surrounded by a supportive community. Contact us today to learn more.