3 Tips for Parents of Adult Addicts | South Coast Counseling

Read more to learn essential tips for coping with your adult addict.

Most parents worry about their children from the moment that they find out that the child will be entering the world. Through infancy and childhood, they watch them grow and nurture that child to the very best of their ability. This is an enormous responsibility, and it is not uncommon to second-guess parenting choices and actions. Many choices that are made by parents during pregnancy and beyond can and do play a role in the life of their child.

For instance, what a mother consumes during pregnancy, be it good nutrition or drugs and alcohol, can significantly influence the health of their child. Though this is an undisputed fact, there are also many personality traits and behaviors that are set in motion during development in the womb that parents have very little control over.

When a child becomes an adult, parents no longer have responsibility of that person, in most circumstances. You might not be legally bound to your son or daughter at this point, but you might feel more connected to their health and well-being at this point in life more than ever before—especially if they are not exactly living up to your expectations. If your child is an addict, here are three tips for coping.

1. Their Choices Are Not Yours

You might have made many mistakes when raising your child that you are now feeling very guilty over. Your adult child might even toss these mistakes back at you often, claiming that their problems stem from the way that they were parented. Though your actions might have played some role in the life of your child, it is important to come to terms with the fact that their choices are not yours. Addiction is not just something that happens and it is not often forced upon the individual. Your adult child must own his or her addiction and seek counseling so that they may overcome.

2. Offer the Right Kind of Support

Another important realization is to determine whether or not you are currently enabling their addiction. You must learn the difference between right and wrong support. For instance, it is time to stop the cash flow if you have been providing your child with funds. More often than not, adult children take the money that their parents gave them for expenses such as rent or food, and purchase controlled substances right down the road. If you would like to provide your adult child with these things, buy them groceries or hand-deliver rent to a landlord instead. You can also stage an intervention to encourage your child to seek counseling and addiction treatment orange county recovery. 

3. They Must Want Help to Get It

You cannot force help upon your child. You can encourage them to seek therapy rehabilitation, but they will not go through with going to treatment until they make the choice for themselves. If they do go before they make the choice, the risk of relapse is significantly higher. Your child cannot get help until they want to help themselves.

Seek Help and Support

To learn about counseling services for your adult child, visit our addiction treatment page or contact a representative with South Coast Counseling today.