Are You An Enabler to your child?

When parents are affected by their own child's denial of alcohol or drug abuse, they often act in ways that protect the addict from experiencing the full consequences of his or her behaviors. This type of protective behavior, although often motivated by love and concern, is referred to as enabling, because it permits the child to continue drinking and allows the disease to progress, the symptoms to intensify and the consequences to become worse for all concerned. Like denial, enabling is another one of the symptoms of addictions—a symptom displayed by others, not by the addict child.

Yes, you read that right. It is a well-recognized aspect of the disease and it can come from you. Pay very close attention to this. If you are an enabler, you have to find the strength within yourself to stop. There are many organizations setup that can help you.

Special groups, like Nar-Anon, Al-Anon and Al-Ateen, have been established to help people concerned about the addicts in their lives to understand them and to help them, largely by gaining the strength to stop enabling. Overcoming denial and enabling is often the first step into treatment for the drug or alcohol abuser. Check out my links page on www.superstarsuperstar.com to find one of these meetings closest to you and get to one if you find that you might be an enabler.

It’s going to be had to stop but like my song says, “You can do it!”