ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, SportsUnderstanding Addiction & Enablers

Licensed professional counselor, Julian Ridolphi with Bradford Health Services says the signs of someone addicted to substance abuse are clear.

He says, It's easy to pick up on because their finances are a wreck, their behavior is erratic, and their relationships are strained and tensed.

 The chemical dependency usually continues in part because of friends or loved ones who think they're helping. Those are the enablers.

Ridolphi says, The enabler really believes the slot machine mentality if I can get it all done. Getting out of that behavior trying to feel like ... I'll resolve it; that person probably needs counseling. It's magical thinking, if I can get them out of a scrape this time. And that usually doesn't happen.

You can't love someone out of it, the responsibility is on the individual themselves to resolve the problem. It's a spiritual choice versus their ego.

Ridolphi explains, It's also a spiritual choice. Because if there's not a higher power in your life then you are the higher power. If you are the higher power then what you don't believe in, can't help you . So if you don't believe there's a power greater than yourself. Then, there's no way to get help from that power, so you end up being your own power. Which is what we call, ego. So the problem with this problem is ego.

Ridolphi says, people put off seeking professional help until after that holiday party and it's around the second week of January that they find a treatment center for an assessment.

He says, what I usually tell people is, fast forward to this time next year. What is it going to look like 2,3, 4 years down the road. How much will you have lost by then? Your home, your family, themselves.

Just as there's a gene that can predispose you to diabetes, there's a gene that can predispose you to addiction. Addiction to alcohol, or a chemical dependency.