Losing someone you love to addiction is a very difficult grief and loss to go through. We understand the many feelings you may have and that processing those emotions can almost feel impossible. There is no one way to cope; everyone copes in their own way and on their own terms.
These are just some a few things we suggest you do that can help you through this difficult time:
- Give yourself time to grieve – Giving yourself time to grieve and process what happened is an important part of dealing with your emotions. Remember that if you find yourself in a downward spiral, ask for help from family, friends, and even professional counselors that can help you through the process.
- Don’t bottle up your feelings – You may be feeling a wide variety of emotions, and that’s perfectly okay. Don’t internalize and keep your feelings inside.
- Utilize a grief support group – There are plenty of support groups you can use that can help you. A grief professional will be by your side through everything you’re feeling and will give you the support you need.
- Don’t blame yourself – Often, when someone loses their loved one to an addiction, they look for ways they could’ve helped more or look more deeply into something they might’ve done wrong. The thing to remember when you start to feel this way is that you did not have control over their addiction.
- Take action – As part of the healing process, something you can do, if you’re comfortable with doing it, is spread awareness about the topic of addiction. Share your story and talk about the impact it had in order to eliminate the stigma.
If you have any other questions or need support on coping, we’ll work with you in order to help you find the support you need.