Helping a loved one: Recognize warning signs and find support
When someone you love is struggling with substance use or a mental health condition, you want what’s best for them. You want them to heal and build a life that works. Our evidence-based treatment programs let your loved one keep working and living at home during treatment, and they bring you into the process too.
Our programs include weekly support meetings for family, close friends and chosen family. These meetings offer education about substance use and mental health, along with guidance on what to expect when someone close to you is going through treatment.
A family approach
Outcomes improve when families are involved. A substance use disorder or a mental health condition affects not only the person living with it but also the people who care about them, including partners, close friends and family.
Family support in mental health and substance use treatment is part of the clinical work at Kolmac. We treat the people around the patient as part of the process, and you can learn more about who we treat and how our programs are built around each person’s situation.
How to recognize when someone needs help
If you’re helping a loved one with addiction or a mental health condition, it isn’t always obvious when use or distress has crossed into something that needs treatment. The signs below can help you tell the difference.
Signs of a substance use disorder
For substance use, the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests asking whether the person:
- Has escalated how much or how often they drink or use
- Wants to quit but hasn’t been able to
- Can’t function at work, school or home because of drugs or alcohol
- Avoids social or work activities in order to use
- Keeps drinking or using despite consequences they know are caused by it
Signs of a mental health condition
Mental health conditions can be harder to see from the outside. Warning signs include:
- Withdrawing from people and activities they used to value
- Persistent sadness, hopelessness or loss of interest
- Extreme mood changes, or excessive worry and fear
- Changes in sleep, appetite or energy
- Growing difficulty functioning at work, school or home
If several of these apply, encourage them to seek professional support. We offer evidence-based treatment for substance use and mental health conditions across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. If you’re scared or unsure how to help, you can start by calling Kolmac.
If your loved one is in crisis right now
If there’s an immediate risk to life, call 911.
We help you while your loved one gets help
While our clinicians teach your loved one the skills for recovery, including relapse prevention and healthy lifestyle changes, we encourage you to take part. Supporting someone through treatment is hard, and you deserve support of your own.
For those not yet ready to reach out to us, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) offers free, confidential information and referrals for families experiencing challenges with substance use and mental health, operating 24/7.
Weekly family and friends support meetings
We offer confidential groups for loved ones, family and friends. These groups provide education about substance use and mental health, support for family members and a safe place to ask questions, share concerns and celebrate progress.
For loved ones who want more structured, ongoing help, our family counseling services go a step further, with guided sessions that address how substance use and mental health affect the whole family.
Family, friends and chosen family
Family means more than an official relative. We welcome spouses, partners, close friends and anyone with a stake in helping the patient get better.
We encourage participants to share their experiences, but we don’t require anyone to speak. You can simply listen and learn how best to support your loved one through the experiences of others.
Everyone needs a support system
We urge each patient to have at least one person attend family group sessions as often as possible. For young adults between 18 and 25 who live at home, we ask that at least one parent attend. Decades of evidence show that patients and families do better when everyone learns about treatment together.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is one of the hardest situations for a family, and it’s more common than you’d think. You can’t force someone into care, but you can stay connected, express concern without judgment and be ready with a clear next step when they’re open to it.
Our admissions team can talk you through how to approach that conversation, even if your loved one isn’t ready yet.
Family support groups bring loved ones together for education and shared experiences in a group setting. Therapy is a structured clinical service, guided by a trained therapist, that works through the specific dynamics affecting your family. Many people benefit from both.
If there’s an immediate risk to their safety or thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 any time, or call 911 if the danger is immediate. Crisis situations need crisis support first. Once things are stable, we can help you plan the next steps toward treatment.
Anyone with a genuine stake in your loved one’s wellbeing is welcome, including siblings, close friends and chosen family. The one specific request we make is that for young adults aged 18 to 25 living at home, at least one parent attends.
We hold meetings weekly. We encourage each patient to have at least one support person attend as often as they can, since consistent involvement is one of the clearest predictors of how well treatment goes.
Reach out to our admissions team and they’ll let you know what’s available. Even if your loved one is being treated elsewhere, you still deserve support of your own, and we can point you toward the right resources.
When you’re ready, we’re here
When you’re ready, our admissions team is here to help. Get help today.
