I can’t make my loved one stop using, how can I help reduce the harm he is causing to himself? Any tips for safer use practices?
Posted on behalf of Community Member.
How can I help reduce the harm my loved one is causing to himself?
polly
#2
Great question, reducing harmful use is a great goal 
Might start as using a bit less or less frequency of use. As the significant other in this equation I’ve found that celebrating the wins around using less helps. And helping to create moments of simple human pleasures (like getting into nature, animals, children) and connection with real empathy or connecting back into activities they find rewarding without use (playing music etc.)
Just a few thoughts <3
AnthonysMom
#3
I am going to assume that your loved one is using heroin and injecting it. If that’s the case there are several things you can do. It may sound like enabling to some but I think providing IV drug users with clean that needles is so important. Both my sons contacted hep c the one who passed away also had HIV from using dirty needles when they could not get their hands on clean ones. Also I keep narcan at home and I think everyone who has an addict living with or near them should do the same it saves lives! the problem with heroin is when you cut back try not use your tolerance level goes down and then if you use again and use the same amount as before you’re at the risk of OD. Most addicts know this but it’s the most common time for an overdose to occur this right after the person hasn’t used for a little while.
It’s kind of depressing just talking about this. Oh and one last thing my son currently has two large abscesses that he had to have surgery on over the weekend. They are both deep inside his hip area from shooting up there into his muscles because he has no more vein access, all his veins collapse from 11 years of using. if he would have left this untreated it could have turned into sepsis and killed him. So that’s another reason for providing clean needles.
Hope this info helps in some way take care of yourself, it’s really all we can do.
The best thing we can do to help them is for us to stay strong.