- Encourage them to seek professional support. The earlier a person gets help for their issues, the better
- Do not ignore the problem
- Do not blame them, or yourself
- Educate yourself about addiction, using reliable resources
- Do not make excuses for their behaviour
- Do not enable them. Common ways of enabling include paying the person’s bills, giving them money, lying for them and covering up their behaviour
- Encourage healthy behaviours
- Do not give up on them, recovery is possible
- Take care of yourself. Loving and caring for someone with an addiction can be physically, mentally and emotionally draining
