For families
You are allowed to need help too
Loving someone through addiction is exhausting, confusing work. Here is what actually helps, and what to do when it feels impossible.
Practical guidance
Six things worth knowing
None of this is about controlling your loved one. It is about staying honest, staying connected, and staying whole yourself.
How to start the conversation
Pick a sober, unhurried moment. Lead with specific behavior you have observed and how it affected you, not diagnosis or labels. Ask one question and then let silence do some work.
Support without enabling
Enabling protects someone from consequences; support helps them face them safely. Paying rent so children stay housed is support. Paying off a dealer is not.
Boundaries that hold
A boundary is something you will do, not something you demand. State it once, clearly, and then keep it — even when it is hard.
If they say no
Refusal is common and not final. Stay in relationship, stay honest, keep naloxone in the house, and call us for guidance in the meantime.
Take care of yourself too
Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, and individual therapy exist for you, not just for them. Your recovery does not need their permission.
In an emergency
For overdose, call 911 and use naloxone. For suicidal crisis, call or text 988. Ohio's Good Samaritan law protects people who call for help.
Crisis numbers
If this is an emergency
For overdose, call 911 and administer naloxone if you have it. For a suicidal or mental health crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. For everything else, our admissions line is answered daily.
Call us even if they are not ready.
We talk with families every day about how to approach someone who has not agreed to treatment yet. There is no charge and no pressure.
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