If you are a spouse or a parent of a loved one with an addiction problem then you likely know the challenge of finding the right kind of help. Most specifically, you know that no matter how hard you work and how good your intentions are, if your loved one in not committed to change your efforts will be in vain. This does not mean, however, that families decide to sit back and do nothing. From encouraging their addicted loved ones to attend meetings and to see counselors to paying the high price of a substance abuse treatment center, there are many ways that families try their very best.
Tough love is called that because it is certainly anything but easy. It is not easier on the person trying to take a step back, and it is not easy on the addict. The addict, however, often finds ways to continue live their so called lives, no matter how dysfunctional they may be. For the caregivers, however, the tough love approach is exhausting and devastating. It is for these reasons that the spouses, parents, and other loved ones of addicts find themselves in need of support.
Focusing on themselves and leading their best lives is the often the only way, in fact, that the friends and family of an addict can survive. From parent support groups to groups that focus on the spouses and children of addicts, there are a growing number of resources that are available. Taking the time to care for yourself instead of simply worrying for someone else is an important step in many people’s journeys.
What If Your Family Is Battling an Illness Instead of an Addiction?
There are, of course, many other times when it is important that you find the right resources. If, for instance, you are considering the options of getting care at two or three cancer treatment centers you can certainly feel as lost as a parent does battling with a child’s addiction. Knowing that different cancer treatment centers across the country offer varied treatment options, it is important to realize that you may need to be a diligent consumer in the choice of the care that you receive. From proton therapy for breast cancer to treatment options for prostate cancer, it is important that you work closely with your doctor to understand the cancer treatment centers and protocols that may work the best for you. In some cases, this involves getting a second opinion about the cancer treatment center that you should visit.
Fortunately, there are many advancements that provide cancer patients with choices that they may not have had in the past. Consider some of these facts and figures about the many kinds of targeted approaches that allow families to feel as if they are giving their loved one the best available option:
- Proton therapy is a fairly new type of radiation that stops at a very specific point in a targeted tissue.
- Conventional radiation, in comparison, continues beyond the tumor. In breast cancer, for example, this means on average no radiation to the heart and on average 50% less radiation to the lung as compared with conventional radiation.
- In general, proton radiation therapy decreases the radiation dose to gastrointestinal structures by at least 59% compared to X-rays.
- A proton therapy treatment session generally takes 15 to 45 minutes; however, the actual time spent delivering the protons to the tumor is typically only about a minute or two.
- Due to proton therapy’s targeted approach, studies have found prostate cancer patients treated using this method have a significantly reduced risk of impotence. In fact, 94% of men report they remain sexually active after treatment.
- Who should I call after a car accident? 911? My insurance company? An attorney?
Rehabilitation services help families deal with the addiction of loved ones and advanced cancer treatment options help families battle a difficult diagnosis. No matter what situation you are facing, however, it is important that you make a point of working with the best available resources. Many of the biggest of decisions in life are challenging, but with the right advice the path can seem easier to navigate. Are you ready to face your battle?
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