Seeing a family member or friend in trouble can be rather disheartening.
That said what resources will you turn to when you want to try and help someone out?
From the Internet to other people that know the individual, you do have options.
Does the Person Want Help to Begin With?
In trying to provide some help to an individual you know and see is in trouble, here are three keys to keep in mind:
- Do they want help? – The first question you need to be able to answer is does the individual want help to start? Unfortunately, some people do not want help even when someone they know is willing to offer it. As such, the latter has to take a step back. They then determine if trying to provide help may even end the relationship. As difficult as it can be to watch someone struggle, it may be the only thing you can do moving forward. Weigh the situation and see if you need to take a hands-off approach at least for now. Is the best way to go about things (see more below)?
- Using resources – Knowing that someone from your past needs help is not always going to be easy. Someone you know whether family or friend may need help and you are not aware of it. As an example, could someone that has been in your life at some point now in jail? If so, how would you find this out? If you think the individual may be in California last you knew; you could go online. Once on the Internet, move forward with a CDCR inmate locator. That online investigation could help you find the person in one of the jails or prisons in the state. Once you have done this, you can then decide what your next move may end up being. Keep in mind that some inmates are allowed contact by those outside the prison system. Meantime, others may not be depending on what they are in prison for in the first place.
- Deciding how far you can go – Last, it is important to remember that you can oftentimes only do so much for someone. As an example, what if the person you are trying to help has been having notable financial issues for a while now? Is this due to being in bad circumstances? It could be they lost a job, are going through a divorce, have serious medical issues that cost money and more. You then may be more inclined to offer some financial help if able to do so. On the flip side, what if the individual is continually spending money and in essence wasting it? How much help would you offer before you say enough is enough? As you can see, these can be tough things to weigh in your mind. While you want to help them at the end of the day, there is likely only so much you can do. The last thing you want to do is put yourself in a precarious financial situation.
In trying to help someone out, at what lengths will you go to doing so?