Are you struggling to understand the difference between helping and enabling? When it comes to a family member or friend with an addiction, this distinction is one of the most important things you need to understand. Knowing the difference between these two approaches is essential for those looking into family therapy programs. Understanding the difference between helping and enabling will help you provide support without unintentionally enabling your loved one’s addiction.
To learn more about helping vs. enabling, contact Vertava Health at 844.470.0410 today. Our family therapy programs provide an opportunity to understand the difference between these two approaches and how they can help support your loved one’s recovery.
What is Helping?
Helping is doing something that allows someone by providing resources, guidance or other forms of support with no strings attached. It may take time and effort on your part, but it always serves the best interests of your loved one in a healthy way. Examples of helping include:
- Offering emotional support when they are going through difficult times
- Providing transportation to meetings or appointments related to recovery
- Listening without judgment when they need someone to talk to
- Being there as a source of encouragement as they work towards their goals
Enabling, on the other hand, is something that unintentionally supports a person’s addictive behavior.
What is Enabling?
Enabling is different from helping because it involves doing something that helps keep up an unhealthy behavior or attitude. It can take many forms, such as:
- Making excuses for someone’s bad choices
- Bailing them out of trouble created by their own actions
- Giving them money when they use it for purposes that contribute to their addiction
Enabling gives people permission to continue acting in ways that are harmful without having any consequences for their actions. This means that their addiction can continue unchecked and can even worsen over time if it isn’t addressed properly.
The Difference Between Helping and Enabling
The difference between helping and enabling is simple. Helping is providing support in a healthy way, while enabling is providing support that unintentionally encourages or enables an unhealthy behavior. It’s important to understand this distinction so that you can provide the right kind of support for your loved one. This will help them get the resources they need to address their addiction in a healthy way.
How Can Family Therapy Programs Help?
Family therapy programs are designed specifically for families dealing with an addicted loved one. They can be extremely beneficial in learning how to find a balance between helping and enabling behaviors. Family therapy can provide insight into why certain behaviors have been happening in the home environment. They also offer strategies for maintaining boundaries while still showing love and support for your loved one during recovery. By participating in sessions regularly, families can start understanding how each person contributes to the dynamic within the home and make changes so everyone involved can start healing together rather than apart.
Help Your Loved One with Vertava Health’s Support
It’s essential to learn how to support a person without falling into a cycle of enabling behaviors. At Vertava Health, we understand how hard this situation can be on everyone involved. We know it is essential for family therapy programs to be specifically designed for families dealing with an addicted loved one. This ensures that everyone has access to supportive care during this difficult time. We believe that through education and understanding, everyone involved can learn how to find a balance between helping and enabling so real progress toward recovery becomes possible. Contact Vertava Health at 844.470.0410 if you want more information about our family therapy programs. A brighter future is possible for your entire family.
