Watching a beloved family member use and abuse Valium, day in and day out, is incredibly difficult. Most people want the abuse to stop, and they might be willing to do almost anything to produce that kind of long-term sobriety, but family members might not know exactly what to do or what to say in order to help the person they love so very much. Thankfully, there are a number of things concerned family members can do in order to ensure that an addiction doesn’t progress.

Stress the Importance of Therapy

In modern, do-it-yourself culture, people who have addictions are often encouraged to take the reins and control addictions on their own, without the help of others. It can be tempting to pressure someone with a Valium addiction to follow this path, but unfortunately, these addictions rarely abate without the help of a qualified professional.

For example, in a study in The American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers report that people required to follow a rapid dose reduction of benzodiazepines tended to relapse, and they did so quickly. They couldn’t handle the symptoms of withdrawal, and without support, they just couldn’t get sober.

In a formal detox program, people have access to therapies that can soothe discomfort, and the professionals that run these programs help to stress the importance of a slow and steady progression from addiction to sobriety. By explaining how addiction programs work and how they might help to ease discomfort, families might entice the addicted person to get the right kind of care, and that might lead to true healing.

Deal With the Cause

Addictions to Valium can, at times, stem from underlying anxiety disorders. These mental health conditions don’t come about due to weakness or a lack of character. Instead, they are very real medical problems that tend to get worse unless they are treated, and according to the National Alliance on Mental Health, they impact about 18 percent of Americans in any given year.

Being sensitive to anxiety disorders means avoiding harmful catch phrases, such as:

  • “Get over it.”
  • “Snap out of it.”
  • “Man up.”
  • “Forget about it.”

Instead, families should strive to be compassionate, listening closely when the person attempts to discuss feelings of anxiety and nervousness that prompt the abuse of Valium. In a therapy program, people will need to talk about their feelings openly with their therapists, and families that listen with compassion are demonstrating that these talks can be positive and that they can go well. It might not be easy to listen but it can be a remarkable gift.

Those who do have anxiety disorders complicating their Valium addictions will need the help of a special Dual Diagnosis program that provides care for both the addiction and for the mental health problem that lies beneath. These programs provide a comprehensive level of care that may not be available in standard addiction programs, and those families that seek out these types of programs could be providing intense help to their loved ones in need.

If you need an anxiety and Valium addiction treatment program for someone you love, please call us at Black Bear Lodge. We provide just this sort of care for people in need, and we’d be happy to answer any questions about how care works and how much it might cost. Please call us at 706-914-2327 to find out more.