EP 68: Are You Enabling or Protecting? The Controversial Truth About Supporting Addicts at Home

NEW Announcement: Australian Family Support Listeners Get 30% off every one-to-one support session with Paul King & Wendy Brewer. Finally get the care & help you need to navigate a loved one's addiction. familyhopesupport.com (Australia Only)

Are you truly helping your loved one struggling with addiction—or unknowingly enabling them?

If you're navigating the heartbreak of substance use within your family, you're not alone. This episode dives into the fine line between protecting and enabling, and how harm reduction can be a life-saving strategy that challenges the stigma surrounding addiction.

• Discover why harm reduction is often misunderstood—and how it can actually keep your loved one alive long enough to recover.
• Learn how to support younger siblings in the home without hiding the truth or feeding the shame.
• Understand the impact of stigma on families and how compassionate, informed choices can change the dynamic and lead to better outcomes.

Listen now to learn how to shift from fear to informed compassion and support your loved one’s recovery with strength and clarity.

🌱 Family Hope Support — Special Offer for Podcast Listeners (Australia Only)

Loving someone with a drug or alcohol problem can feel exhausting — the worry, the guilt, the fear, the sleepless nights. It wears you down.

At Family Hope Support, Wendy Brewer and Paul King offer combined one-to-one support sessions grounded in counselling insight and lived experience. Finally get the care & help you need to navigate a loved one's addiction. 🎉: Family Support Listeners Get 30% off every one-to-one support session — use code FAMILYHOPE at checkout.

👉 Claim your discount at familyhopesupport.com and start feeling less alone. You don’t have to do this by yourself

💛 Support the Podcast (Worldwide)

If our podcast has helped you feel a little less alone, you can now support our work through Ko-fi. Your contribution helps us keep creating this show and reach more families who need hope and guidance.

👉 https://ko-fi.com/familyhopesupport

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Hello Kate: A grief support platform co-founded by Justin Phillips
• Opioid Training: Opioid education and harm reduction courses from Overdose Lifeline.
• CRAFT Model: A family approach to support loved ones with substance use without enabling.
• Aaron’s Place: A recovery home for men, created in memory of Justin’s son.

This podcast provides practical guidance and support for families navigating the challenges of substance abuse disorder, offering insights from addiction recovery experts, family therapy, and support groups like Al-Anon and Family Drug Support, with a focus on understanding how to help and support loved ones dealing with addiction, including heroin addiction, through counselling and treatment...