It isn’t easy to get up the courage to talk to someone about drug use — especially if it’s someone you really care about. Here are some ways to get your conversation going:
Start off by talking about how you feel.
- “I care about you.”
- “I feel like you’ve been distant lately.”
- “I’m worried about your health. You don’t look well.”
Ask if it’s okay to talk about their drug use.
- “I know this can be a hard thing to face. Is it okay if we talk about it?”
- “You said you feel like you’re losing it. Want to talk about it?”
- “We could talk about some ways to get help. Would you be into that?”
- “I know you’re in a lot of pain. Do you want to talk about some other ways to get your pain under control?”
Offer support.
- “How can I support you?”
- “I know this is going to be a long road, but I’m here for you.”
- “When you feel like using, call me.”
- “Do you want to talk about what to do next?”
Talk about next steps.
- “You seem to have some good ideas for how to get help. What can I do to make this process easier?”
- “You mentioned Narconon and calling a hotline. Which of those seems like a good next step?”
- “It seems like you’re interested in going to talk to someone together. I’d be happy to go with you.”