Oftentimes boundaries are broken (or not established at all) when someone is actively struggling with addiction, and this can continue into recovery. It’s important to become aware of any co-dependency, enabling, “crutch” habits and other such unhealthy behaviors in order to best support your loved one (and protect yourself) in recovery. Families can inadvertently play a less constructive role in the recovery process. Occasionally, even the most well-meaning gesture from friends and family seeking to offer support ends up backfiring. Your family includes the people closest to you, those also most affected by your addiction.

Call Gateway for insurance verification and to learn what your policy supports. One of the most important reasons for having family support during recovery is simply because addiction recovery is hard. Individuals in recovery need someone to vent their innermost feelings to, someone to talk to if they’re having a particularly difficult day, and someone to lean on. Each of these family roles in addiction helps them cope the best way they can. However, because of the different family roles in addiction, family members will not always get along.

Addiction Recovery Is Hard, So Lend A Hand

A family meal allows everyone to reconnect at the end of a day that may have been stressful, lonely or upsetting. Each meal helps build upon the work done in family therapy, and the ritual of eating together can promote a sense of common ground and togetherness. When people are struggling with addiction, their families are often the first to suffer. The impact of addiction can cause rifts, communication breakdowns, and financial instability.

Select facilities may offer family therapy, incorporating innovative communication exercises, and relationship-strengthening activities led by licensed therapists. Family members may attend support groups with their loved one or attend their own support groups for families of addicts. The creation of healthy boundaries is a building block of recovery for the family. Although the benefits of family-focused practices in addictions have been documented, services continue to have an individual focus and research on this topic is also limited. The objective of this study is to map the extent, range and nature of evidence available examining family interventions in addictions and identify gaps to guide future research, policy and practice. You’ll meet others who are going through or have gone through similar situations who can offer you support and an understanding ear.

Family Support Leads to Lifelong Healing

As part of alcohol or drug addiction, you may only focus on the problems that your addiction causes in your life. Your family suffers from the disease of addiction as much as you do, in many ways. This is why family therapy is so helpful, necessary and positive as part of addiction treatment. Drug and alcohol addiction affects so much more than just the person experiencing the actual addiction. The people closest to the person suffering from substance use disorder are also affected, and overcoming this takes more than just getting their loved one to go to treatment. Recovery from addiction takes major adjustments in a person’s lifestyle and the family should be part of the entire process, which is why having family support is important to recovery.

As said before, you and your family are probably focusing on healing your addiction right now. Once you start drug and alcohol rehab, the focus can shift to healing all members of your family. Family counseling, as it is also known, is part of a broader treatment plan.

Take control of your life

On the other hand, families can make a huge difference in their loved one’s recovery. Here you’ll learn why addiction is often called a family disease and how you can support your loved one in their recovery. During family sessions, individuals sometimes feel attacked or angry. Without rehab support, people with alcohol or drug addictions may step up their substance abuse. When a family member embodies healthy roles and behaviors in the wake of addiction and recovery, he or she may hold their loved one accountable for their behavior and offer rewards for positive choices. Refusing to focus on the individual’s behavior and creating and implementing healthy boundaries are the building blocks of recovery for families dealing with addiction.

• It’s important to understand that addiction is a disease, and no one is to blame.
• We offer a safe and trustworthy facility for people struggling with substance abuse.
• This is often due to the stigma surrounding addiction, as well as the feeling that they could have done something to prevent the addiction.
• The value of family involvement in substance abuse treatment cannot be overstated.
• As addiction takes hold, individuals who are struggling may start to isolate themselves from their family and friends.
• These groups can provide a sense of belonging and connection, as well as practical support.

They’re hobbies that are done to preserve a sense of efficacy and worth, and they could help to boost mental health, too. Families might be ready to accept an addicted person back into a celebration with open arms, while the addicted person might need time to mourn the loss of the target of the addiction. The family might expect excitement and participation, but as writers for Social Work Today point out, the addicted person might not be ready to deliver. That’s the sort of knowledge that can help to boost a family’s sense of hope. With each tidbit they’re learning, they might feel more confident that the addiction can be both treated and conquered.

Family therapy programs are designed to break down distrust and guilt by giving everyone a chance to feel heard. These programs can help family members understand themselves and each other, and work through conflict in a healthy way. Families once defined by anger and addiction can grow into tight-knit units that are able to support one another through honest communication and healthy boundaries.

Families dealing with addiction may feel a sense of hopelessness when seeing their loved one caught in the grips of alcohol or drug addiction and may not know how to approach the situation. Are you looking for resources to help you support someone struggling with addiction? We provide effective, easy-to-learn tools to help both you and your loved one. Our methods are based on the tools of SMART Recovery and CRAFT Therapy (Community Reinforcement & Family Training). Our meetings — available both in-person and online — provide concerned significant others the tools they need to effectively support their loved one, without supporting the addictive behavior. These tools also help Family & Friends better cope with their loved one’s situation and regain their peace of mind.

Follow Us on Social Media!

One of the most critical roles of family members supporting those in
addiction recovery is to offer emotional support. This can be crucial in helping individuals stay motivated and on track with their recovery goals. Alateen is another support group that includes teen family members who help each other heal and discuss complications https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/family-support-is-crucial-in-addiction-recovery/ from witnessing a loved one abuse harmful substances. With both support groups, family members can feel connected to the recovery process and provide input over their experiences. While lifestyle alterations can be a big help for families in crisis, addictions can cause deep rifts and wounds that only therapy can heal.