Ways to Forgive Your Addicted Loved One

So how does the act of forgiving affect you? Are you ready to forgive and let go of the past? If you are, the following are some tips shared by individuals who have walked the path of recovery on how to forgive your loved one for abusing drugs.

Make an effort to work on forgiveness

You can control your emotions and have the power to let go of the negative feelings you have. Aren’t you a responsible person who makes choices for a better future? So, include the addicted loved one in your life and choose a healthy new way to forgive him or her.

Understand addiction by educating yourself

Understanding addiction doesn’t mean you’re accepting it. All you have to do is learn to view the things from the addict’s perspective. By doing this, you’ll learn more about addiction and how to forgive him or her. The addict doesn’t want to hurt you or to cause any problems. Addiction Care Recovery Services wants every family member to understand that their loved one’s erratic actions are the side-effects of drug addiction.

Find and learn your mistakes

What have these trying situations taught you about life? How will you become a better person from them? We can always look back and learn from our past mistakes. By doing this, we can begin to appreciate how much we have grown and valued the wisdom that accompanies us.

Don’t expect your addicted loved one to apologize or make amends

Addiction Care Recovery Services remind family members that forgiveness is an on-going process and that they should be doing at their own pace. Your addicted loved one may still be struggling with some other external issues. He/she may not be capable of making logically-sound and healthy decisions yet. By moving forward with forgiveness, you have a chance to set a positive example for a healthy lifestyle change and help your loved one move forward in their recovery in recovery center services as well.

Give yourself time

Similar to a physical gash, emotional wounds take time to heal also. There may be emotional scarring as well. If you’re still struggling with forgiveness, maybe the pain is still too fresh. Anger may be a healthy emotion but should not be left unattended. You should not sit idly brooding for a long time. It doesn’t take too long to be the bigger person and let the anger go. Be careful not to allow that anger to transform into resentment, fear, or depression: these emotions can negatively affect your mental health and may prevent your loved one from seeking help from recovery center services.

Seek help

Well, I encourage you to turn to a specialist, counselor, therapist, support or church group, or a good mutual friend. This outside help is someone who will not judge or blame you. There are also books about forgiveness that can help you navigate through the healing process.

Addiction Care Recovery Services encourages families in forgiving their loved one who has been addicted to drugs and alcohol may not be easy, but with these tips will help them do it.