Tips For Traveling With People Who Have Addiction Issues

A fair percentage of the human population either currently has, or in the past has had, some type of trouble with addiction or addictive behavior. But, just because this is part of their personal equation, doesn’t necessarily mean that they should have too many restrictions or reservations about traveling. More than anything else, these people just need a knowledgeable buddy.

And if you’re going to be that buddy; if you want to go on a vacation or a trip with someone in this category, there are tips that you can follow to make sure the journey is both safe and fun. So before you say ‘yes’ to that option, remember to know the signs, keep a sponsor in mind, think safety first, know that honesty is a requirement, and have some peaceful meditations on hand. Additionally, if you are traveling to a location like Thailand, you can look for an alcohol addiction treatment Thailand that your friend can go through while enjoying the vacation. It can become an international detox vacation.

Know the Signs

The very first aspect of awareness that you should keep in mind is looking for the signs of withdrawal such as fever, nausea, headaches, anxiety, nervousness, chills, and more. When traveling with an addict, keep track of the signs that they’re suffering from something – either because they’ve relapsed into a behavior or that they’re going through withdrawals. This is going to be a natural part of their process, which means that you have to be super aware of changes in their habits or behaviors that indicate that something is going on.

Keep In Contact With a Sponsor

If you’re traveling with someone who is in a twelve step program, make sure that you have their sponsor’s contact information. This should be someone that both you and your traveling partner trust to be there, essentially at any given time, in case a stressful situation pops up that needs to have that outside influence to tone down the severity of a reaction of some kind.

Maintain Safety First

Traveling with an addict means that safety is going to be your top priority. In terms of more personal styles of travel (i.e. not flying or taking a train), you may have to do a fair share of the driving if there’s an issue regarding sight or even basic motor skills because of physical conditions of the addiction.

Honesty Is Required

When traveling with an addict, it’s not a good thing to keep secrets. A completely honest and direct line of communication is going to be required in order for the both of you to have a safe and happy trip, so closing your eyes and ears is not going to be a viable option.

Have a Few Meditations Handy

And sometimes all an addict needs to calm them down are the right words, and that’s why keeping a few basic meditations on-hand is a good practice. These can either be stored on your phone or on some loose sheets of paper, but should be available at a moment’s notice.