Healing the Wounds of Trauma

5. How can we help people who are addicted? We need to understand the challenges addicts face in order to be able to help them. Be gentle but firm (Gal 6.1). ❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION Why don’t addicts just stop? Get feedback in the large group and then top up with anything not already stated from the list below: • Their bodies crave the addiction. To stop is very painful for awhile. • They are deceived and have developed habits of lying and manipulating people to get what they want. • They think of themselves as an addict. They have lost hope that they will be able to change after trying for so long. • They don’t recognize the cycle or know how to stop it. • The addiction keeps them from feeling the pain of problems they do not want to face. Preaching to addicts or trying to solve their problems for them is not helpful. They need to decide for themselves that they want to stop. What is helpful will depend on the stage the addict is in. Here are some stages and helpful responses: 1. “Leaveme alone!” Help them think about where their lifestyle will lead, and if this is what they want. 2. “Maybe I should stop.” Help them think of the benefits and difficulties of giving up their addiction. 3. “How can I stop?” Give them ideas about what has worked for others and how they might go about this. 4. “I’m stopping!” Help them: • Begin to pay attention to their thoughts and feelings. Explore why the addiction started in the first place. • Pay attention to situations when they have yielded to their addiction. For example, if they went to a bar with friends thinking they would order a soft drink but ended up drunk, they should avoid bars.

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Addictions