How does tough love work

For instance, when it comes to enabling an addict, loved ones may make the individual the focal point of their attention and sympathy. Many enablers often behave this way with the right intentions. Enablers often act this way out of genuine love, but their intentions, unfortunately, are misplaced. Tough love is the opposite of enabling and is, therefore, thought of as an effective preventative measure. However, this approach can do more damage than good when unregulated.

The tough-love approach can backfire if misused and can be dangerous in handling teens or adults who engage in substance abuse. Even if they complete treatment, those who do so without the genuine desire to stay sober will relapse.

So, does tough love work for treating addiction? Call Banyan Massachusetts now at for more information about our outpatient drug treatment programs in Boston. If you or a loved one are struggling with drugs or alcohol, call us now! Join us on Social Media. Preventing Enabling with Tough Love Parents of addicted loved ones are sometimes encouraged to use tough love to prevent enabling their children.

After overcoming her own struggles with addiction, she began working in the treatment field in Both eighth grade classes were the same size. The discussion over how tough to be on students seems to be a double-edged sword.

On one side, honest parenting can provide students with realistic expectations but sometimes at the expense of self-worth and esteem. Now, this type of behaviour might sound familiar to many of us. Some of us might have experienced tough love coming from our parents, teachers, a boss at work, or even our romantic partners. Tough love is generally used in parenting or dealing with addicts. We got in touch with Ms. Anagha Bhave , a psychologist who is an alumna of St.

Xaviers College, Columbia University, New York to help us understand the concept of tough love better. She broke down the negative effects of tough love when practiced in a relationship and explained how tough love ranges from mild to severe.

Anagha says that while a certain degree of tough love is important because it can positively influence the relationship like reminding the other person of your self worth or setting clear boundaries—two important factors for a healthy relationship.

However, she also emphasised on how tough can have negative effects when practiced excessively. Below are the six main reasons why tough love does more harm than good.