10 Ways To Support A Veteran In Addiction Recovery

Active-duty military personnel and veterans are all impacted by the unique culture of military service. Many experience traumatic events or develop painful health problems during the course of their military service, or face other struggles in the transition from military to civilian life.

Due to these challenges, many American veterans (especially those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan) ultimately struggle with some form of treatable substance use disorder (SUD).

If you have a veteran in your life struggling with drug use or an alcohol problem, there are many ways you can help and support them in their recovery. Here are ten.

1. Educate Yourself

Addiction is a disease and mental illness that exploits the brain’s reward circuit, changing one’s personality and behavior in profound and difficult ways.

The best way to counteract the stigma of addiction and to build a bridge to your loved one is to learn more about addiction and related mental health conditions, especially as they relate to veterans, and to learn more about modern treatment options.

2. Spend Time

When a service member is discharged from military service, it can feel like they become lost and cut-off from all the relationships and belonging they had before.

Add to this the loneliness and isolation those who struggle with addiction may feel, which is why regular check-ins, meals, walks, and simply spending time can be so important to veterans working through the long, slow, often discouraging process of addiction recovery.

3. Listen Actively

Those who have struggled with drug and alcohol abuse often close their feelings off. But we all need to be heard, so be ready and willing to listen, just listen, without judging or interrupting, showing interest and validating your loved one’s feelings when they want to talk it out.

4. Practice Being Patient

Change is a slow process, and those in recovery may relapse and make other frustrating mistakes along the way.

While you should never enable self-destructive behaviors, always keep lines of communication and trust open, showing love, concern, and encouragement.

5. Set Healthy Boundaries

Enabling or codependent behaviors likely works against you and your loved one.

Instead, clearly establish and maintain healthy boundaries that protect both of you. These may include always speaking with respect, being able to say ‘no’, setting time limits, or not allowing your loved one to enter your home while intoxicated.

6. Encourage Positive Habits

Self-care may be neglected by those who have experienced prolonged alcohol and drug abuse. Encourage your loved one to make positive changes and care for themselves mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually.

This can include spending time with friends, taking up old hobbies, exercising, eating healthy, sleeping eight hours at night, meditating, and avoiding substance abuse and other destructive patterns of behavior.

7. Vocalize Your Support

Tell your loved one you are there for them and share how much you want them to get to a better place in their life. 

Verbally acknowledge and celebrate any positive changes or milestones, no matter how small, to show that you are invested in their recovery and are paying attention to them as they fight to build new, positive patterns.

8. Recommend Solutions

You can work with your loved one to create a personal plan with achievable goals that supports their recovery. Small things, like cooking meals together or drinking more water every day.

You can also research treatment options for your loved one to participate in, especially those for veterans. 

These could be virtual or local support groups, detox programs, addiction treatment programs, therapists, relapse prevention programs, or veteran’s crisis lines (for suicide prevention or referrals to behavioral health and mental health services).

9. Remove Environmental Triggers 

Remove alcohol or drugs from your space and avoid using alcohol and drugs yourself, especially when you’re around someone in recovery. You may also need to host dry events and secure any and all prescription medications.

10. Take Care Of Yourself

Helping someone in recovery can be draining in all kinds of ways. Make sure that you develop your own support system and give yourself the resilience and self-care you need to be present and support your loved one in turn.

Veterans & Substance Abuse

Unfortunately, substance abuse and substance use problems are common among military veterans, especially alcohol use disorders and abuse of opioids related to the treatment (or self-medication) of chronic pain. 

These issues are often complicated by a high prevalence of other mental health disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and others.

Treatment

Both SUDs and co-occurring disorders can be treated professionally through inpatient or outpatient recovery center services, some of which are specific to veterans and their unique needs. 

Both friends and family members can play a positive role in supporting a veteran’s progress through a rehab program or other mental health treatment.

You and the veteran in your life don’t have to face drug or alcohol addiction and other mental health issues alone. 

Ark Behavioral Health offers leading addiction treatment center services including detoxification, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, medication-assisted treatment, dual diagnosis care, and more.

Contact us today to learn more.