EP 109: Beneath the Anger Is Hurt: Using Empathy to Support a Loved One With Addiction cover art

EP 109: Beneath the Anger Is Hurt: Using Empathy to Support a Loved One With Addiction

EP 109: Beneath the Anger Is Hurt: Using Empathy to Support a Loved One With Addiction

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

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)

What if empathy — even when you're being blamed — could be the key to diffusing conflict with your loved one?

When families are caught in the chaos of addiction, conversations often become battlegrounds. This episode offers a new path: using empathy to soften tension, de-escalate arguments, and create the safety your loved one needs to truly open up. If you’ve ever walked away from a fight thinking, “There must be a better way,” this episode is for you.

  1. Learn how to respond calmly when you're being blamed — without letting things spiral.
  2. Discover how naming emotions can interrupt anger and create meaningful connection.
  3. Hear real-life examples of how empathy can shift long-standing communication patterns.

Listen now to learn how empathy can transform even your most difficult moments into opportunities for healing.

🌱 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

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.



No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.