Laurence Westreich, MD on Helping Families Help Addicted Members

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Laurence Westreich, MD. on Helping Families Help Addicted Members", posted July 1, 2007. The traditional advice offered to family members has been to use "tough love" with addicted members. However, Dr. Westreich fears that too many families emphasize being "tough" over providing "love". He recommends that families use a combination of creative engagement and constructive cohersion to repeatedly and lovingly push addicted members into treatment. Threats and ultimatums are less helpful, he suggests, than are multiple caring confrontations that continually push the addicted family member towards obtaining treatment. At the same time, boundaries must be set to keep the addict from harming family members (physically, emotionally, financially, etc.) Dr. Westreich's recent book offers various dialogs that work though typical ways that such confrontations can be offered, typical ways that addicts respond, and good arguments family members can make back to help keep the addict on track towards treatment.