Coping with Grief from Substance Abuse
By Renae Evans
The loss of a spouse, child, friend, or other family member from alcohol or drug abuse can be
especially devastating to your physical, spiritual, and mental health. Knowing that it is ok and normal to grieve, and how to express that grief, can help you begin to heal.
Everyone Grieves On Their Own Time
For some, the loss of a loved one may hit them instantly. They may feel uncontrollable grief that
their child, spouse, friend, or other family member is no longer with them.
Others may not process this new information right away. They may be stuck in the denial stage, where they cannot wrap their minds around the fact that their loved one has passed away. It may take them days or even weeks to truly begin to understand their loss.
Whether you fall into the first category or the second, it is important to seek help. Keeping everything bottled up inside can have harmful effects on your mental health and may even lead to depression.
Talking to those around you, or a mental health professional, can help you express your emotions and begin to make sense of a world where your loved one is no longer with you.
Everyone Grieves In Their Own Way
Grief commonly comes in many forms such as:
● Denial
● Disbelief
● Confusion
● Shock
● Sadness
● Yearning
● Anger
● Despair
● Guilt
Some may feel all of these emotions and more after a loss, while others may only feel a few of these. No matter what you are feeling, it is important to know that everyone is different and there is not just one way to grieve.
After losing a loved one to substance abuse, you may feel angry at that person. You may be mad at your loved one for taking those substances that took them away from you. You may even be mad at yourself for noticing a drug or alcohol abuse problem and not stopping it before it had catastrophic consequences.
Shock and disbelief are also common emotions that you may experience after a sudden overdose if you did not know your loved one was addicted to harmful substances. You may even experience guilt that you did not notice the substance abuse.
No matter what emotions you experience during this time, it is important to remember that it is normal, their substance abuse was not your fault, and that you will get through this difficult time.
Talking through your emotions with a therapist or other licensed mental health professional can help you understand what you are really feeling and how you can begin to accept your loss.
Be Patient With Yourself And Others
Remember that everyone experiences loss differently and healing from that loss takes a great deal of time. Be patient with others who are handling the death of a loved one differently than you.
Others may get to the acceptance stage sooner or later than you. Either way, it is important to remain patient and supportive of each other. Having patience with yourself is also just as important. You cannot rush the grieving process.
Giving yourself time to heal will make the process easier and less stressful on your mental and emotional health.
Author Bio
Renae Evans is Outreach Coordinator with Springhill Recovery
About The Author