EP 83: Stop Pushing, Start Listening: A New Way to Support Addiction Recovery

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 unknowingly pushing your loved one further away in their recovery journey?

When someone you care about is struggling with substance use, it’s natural to want to “fix” things—but pushing often creates resistance. This episode explores a more effective and compassionate approach: motivational interviewing, a way of connecting that builds trust, respect, and openness while encouraging real change.

• Discover the four essential skills of motivational interviewing—open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summarizing—and how to use them at home.
• Learn how these skills align with Indigenous wisdom to support healing in a natural, culturally respectful way.
• Understand why affirming your loved one’s character, not just their actions, can ignite genuine motivation for recovery.

Listen now to learn practical, relationship-strengthening strategies you can start using today to support your loved one’s recovery with empathy and respect.

Book mentioned on episode: Motivational Interviewing https://www.amazon.com.au/Motivational-Interviewing-Helping-People-Change/dp/146255279X

🌱 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

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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 options.

DISCLAIMER

Every family is different — if you’re supporting someone through addiction, please make decisions that are right for you, ideally in consultation with qualified professionals and appropriate support networks.