Help for You and Your Daughter’s Drug Addiction

The first time people smoke pot their initial reaction most likely is not “in ten years I am going to be a heroin addict”. No one chooses to become a drug addict, it happens through time and repetitiveness like any habit. Many of us will never experience addiction and that is what makes understanding and having empathy towards addiction difficult.

As parents, we try to give our children everything they could possibly desire; a new bike on Christmas, a car on their 16th birthday, the list goes on. There is no book on “how to be the perfect parent” but through love and guidance we do the best that we can.

For most of us, it is human nature to try and put the blame on ourselves when something terrible happens. We always think about the “what ifs” and what we could have possibly done different in order to stop something from happening to ourselves and the ones we love. For example, “if I got her the car she wanted instead of the one I insisted on getting her, then maybe she wouldn’t be doing drugs”. We take the blame because we are trying to take control of the situation, and if we can control the situation then we can control the outcome. The reality is that not everything is under our control.

If your daughter is an addict it is important that you are supportive and present during her recovery. Your daughter needs to know that you are there for her no matter what and you may not be able to control the outcome of her actions and decisions, but you can give her strength.

Since it is not easy to admit that your child needs help, during her stay at Awakenings for Women we offer resources for parents of addicts. Contact our helpline today at 1 (412) 822-0065 for drug addiction treatment programs for your daughter and for information on our support groups specifically designed for parents just like you. Your daughter can find recovery here and your call is the first step to her success.