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Benzodiazepines like Klonopin (clonazepam) can play an important role in the management of a chronic anxiety disorder. As an article in the journal Advances in Psychiatric Treatment points out, clinicians who carefully manage the administration of these medications may help their clients to overcome very serious mental health disorders, and if an addiction issue does appear, clinicians can take effective steps to resolve the problem without allowing anxiety to reappear.
But even though doctors and therapists will do the majority of the heavy lifting when a Klonopin addiction is in play, there’s a lot that families can do in order to support the addicted person and ensure that a true and robust recovery takes hold. These are just a few of the steps concerned loved ones can take.
Keep Learning
Most people know little to nothing about how an addiction develops, and modern media really doesn’t help to clear up the confusion. For example, in an article in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, researchers found that movies tended to depict just four kinds of addicts:
- The demonized user
- The user who takes drugs as an act of rebellion
- The funny addict
- The tragic case
Boiling an addiction down to a stereotype does nothing to help with the recovery process. In fact, it might even be harmful. It’s best to listen and talk to the person who has the addiction and really try to understand what that individual is thinking, feeling and trying to accomplish. By learning the specifics of a person’s addiction, families might understand how they can help.
Participating in group therapy sessions with the addicted person might also help to boost understanding. Counselors might take the time to explain how mental illness and chemical changes combine in the early stages of a Klonopin addiction, and they might also be willing to help interpret baffling statements an addicted person might make.
Express Support
People who have addictions to Klonopin might really want to get better, but they might also have dark moments in which they miss the drug and want to keep taking it. People like this might go back and forth on a regular basis, feeling motivated one moment and hopeless the next. It can be exasperating, but families that express their love and support might be providing the addicted person with a real gift. By outlining how much they want the person to recover, and how proud they are of the progress the person has already made, they might motivate the person to stay engaged and involved in the hard work of recovery, and that might make real healing all the more likely.
Unfortunately, some people who have a Klonopin addiction simply aren’t ready to get sober, and they resist the family’s attempt to help them to heal. They seem trapped in a cycle of addiction, and they’re unwilling to fight back. Being supportive in this situation doesn’t mean condoning the addiction. Families can help by continuing to express their concerns about the drug abuse, and discussing how therapies might help to make the situation abate. By keeping the lines of communication open, these families might eventually convince the addicted person to get the help that is so desperately needed.
If you’d like to find out more about how you can help a loved one with a Klonopin addiction, please call us at Black Bear Lodge. We have intake specialists available to take your call right now at 855-808-6212.