Why is recovery from addiction so hard? Tiger Resilience Podcast EP 6 3.22.2022 The challenge is that addiction is a very complicated disorder that affects individuals so differently. To be successful requires a deep understanding of the individual and their needs because all treatment to be successful must be individualized for the person. Opioid addiction creates unique challenges for different people, this also includes family members and friends that are struggling with a loved one who has an addiction. Time is necessary but alone can be a challenge – OD/Behavior issues/legal. Working with a mother a few years back she shared her greatest challenges with me. Her son was a 25-year-old who was addicted to opioids for about six years. She struggled with letting things go that happened in the past. She also struggled with a vast amount of information that is available to understand opioid addiction and how difficult it was to discern that information so that it made sense to her. Her challenges to understand opioid addiction was the primary motivation behind Tiger Resilience and the development of our self-serve opioid educational program and Family Recovery Coaching Services. So what strategy is the best to follow with the greatest probability of success if you want to help your loved one dealing with an opioid addiction? The answer is in two parts: • First is to detach with love. • Second is to create an accountability system for your loved one which in layman terms means treat them as an adult. Detachment with love means caring enough about others to allow them to learn from their mistakes. It also means being responsible / RESPONSE ABLE - for our own welfare and making decisions without ulterior motives - the desire to control others. Detachment with love is significant because it is the power of influence, the proverbial planting a seed into our loved one and then to continue to nourish it without drowning it with water or allowing it to die by not watering it. Creating an accountability system is setting up the parameters for our loved one with and opioid addiction to be treated as an adult. One of the greatest gifts of the human condition is our freedom to choose. With this great gift comes the consequences of our choices both good and bad. If we do not allow our loved ones struggling with addiction to suffer from, or be rewarded with consequences from their decisions, nothing will be learned. Doing the same thing expecting different results is truly the definition of insanity so something must be changed in order to get a different outcome. My client and his open checkbook – how we created conditions for what he would pay for and what he would not pay for. Also discuss how his son broke on different occasions the contract and agreement and thus was in a shelter for two weeks which precipitated his hitting rock bottom and eventually brought him into treatment. These principles are not tough love, as tiger resilience does not subscribe to that belief. Our experience has shown that tough love is nothing but a copout and does far more damage than any good. So, the take away is recovery is possible for the family and for the individual. Detachment with love is carrying enough to allow your loved one to find their own path as you continue to plant seeds. Accountability systems is to treat them fully as an adult as you continue to also guide and nurture them. Neither of these principles will be successful without one word, communication. Communication is necessary for everything we do in life and tiger resilience podcasts will be featuring multiple shows around the topic of communication in the next few weeks. We truly hope you find value in these podcasts and this information and as always if you would like to learn more, please visit us at tiger- resilience.com I look forward to speaking with you next week and wish you peace and serenity on your journey.