Moving Forward From Addiction With Family Support
Early addiction recovery can be a vulnerable next step. It is common for those in recovery to endure various obstacles that can hinder their healing process. Knowing this, family support is a critical element in recovery. However, substance use disorder (SUD) is a family disease. Therefore, each family member must understand how their actions impact their loved one’s ability to move forward from addiction. Fortunately, moving forward with family therapy can help. Not knowing what to expect from a family intervention can feel unsettling. Learning the value of family therapy with a specialist at South Shore Recovery Center provides light encouragement to overcome addiction together.
The Challenges of Early Addiction Recovery Without Moving Forward With Family Support
Not everyone feels confident moving forward in early recovery. The thought of living an independent lifestyle can feel somewhat unguarded without additional support. Early recovery typically requires one to make several changes to their way of life. If one does not use sober living skills, they may experience significant challenges in their journey.
For example, an individual in recovery may remove toxic friends who continue to abuse substances, resign from a position that does not have a sober working environment, move away from an environment with substance exposure, discontinue using drugs or alcohol, and engage in sober activities. If an individual does not take these actions to limit their triggers, substance exposure, and cravings, they may put themselves at risk of enduring:
- Broken relationships with loved ones
- Unemployment
- Financial strife
- Criminal charges
- Homelessness
- Poor mental health
The Importance of Moving Forward With Family Support
Knowing that those with severe SUD or a dual diagnosis often feel hesitant to move forward in early recovery, family members can provide much-needed support. Recovery at any stage, both early and late, can come with several obstacles. Family support can prevent obstacles or reduce stress that may lead to a substance relapse. Loved ones can provide support in trying times to stay on track to a sober lifestyle. No one should overcome great hardship linked with substance use alone; family members can keep an eye out for warning signs of co-occurring depression, suicidal ideation, or recurring substance use. Benefits of family support include:
- Emotional support
- Financial support
- Guidance
- Reduced risk of relapse
- Improved family engagement
- Reduced stress
Is Addiction a Family Disease?
Prolonged addiction often leads to SUD. SUD is a severe brain disease that impacts one’s reward system. Unaddressed SUD typically leads to co-occurring mental health conditions, making one feel as if their life is spiraling out of control. Not only does SUD negatively impact the individual facing challenges with addiction, but their surroundings as well. A loved one, friends, peers, or family members may all be affected by active addiction.
How Does Addiction Impact a Family as a Whole?
Research indicates that the entire family can experience the effects of SUD. A family makeup contains information about how SUD develops in a loved one. The family context also holds history about how one’s disorder is maintained and what influences the treatment. SUD can negatively impact a family member’s emotional and behavioral patterns from the very beginning.
For example, families that are impacted by addiction may experience emotional, psychological, financial, or social hardship. Seeing a loved one face problems with various aspects of their life due to their SUD can be traumatic. Family members may feel guilty or burdened by their loved one’s disorder. Frequent hospitalizations, failed programs, or theft can leave a family financially unstable. Family members may neglect self-care and begin to experience burnout after many failed attempts to turn their loved one’s life around.
What Is Family Therapy?
Knowing that SUD can be felt by a family as a whole, family therapy can be highly beneficial. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), family therapy focuses on the idea that a family is a system of consecutive parts. Even the slightest change in the family system can trigger changes in various areas. Sometimes, families may already be affected by something else in addition to addiction, further pushing the family into greater turmoil. Oftentimes, a family may be stuck in disarray even after a loved one completes their addiction treatment program.
Fortunately, family therapy can help a family as a whole recover from addiction or co-occurring mental health conditions. Family interventions involve a multitude of family members within the same environment. If an individual is considered family in treatment, they are welcome to participate in family intervention. A typical session can involve a group of two or more family members and a therapist to mediate for safety.
What to Expect From Family Therapy at South Shore Recovery Center
Not knowing what to expect can feel unsettling. By involving loved ones in the healing journey, the clinical team at South Shore Recovery Center recognizes that recovery is a collective process deeply influenced by the support and dynamics within the family unit. During addiction treatment, our family therapy is used to address the intricate web of relationships that impact the individual’s journey.
Whether their addiction stems from past trauma, a family history of addiction, or mental health disorders, the family impacts the individual, and their addiction impacts the family. In a typical session, family members talk about a particular crisis or problem for conflict resolution. Family members work to understand the changes that have occurred due to active addiction and work together to develop positive behavioral change. Each family member may discuss new coping skills to address anger, regret, and sadness to bring relief for ongoing healing.
The Value of Moving Forward With Family Therapy at South Shore Recovery Center
Active addiction can damage a family’s healthy dynamics. At South Shore Recovery Center, our team works to facilitate structured conversations, psychoeducation, and therapeutic interventions to help families heal together. This process includes identifying and breaking unhealthy patterns, restoring trust, setting boundaries, and enhancing communication, all while promoting a supportive environment for sustained recovery. Additional benefits of family therapy at South Shore Recovery Center include:
- Developed grounded foundation
- Strengthened coping mechanisms as a family unit
- Empowered family education and overall awareness
- Addressed underlying issues that fueled the addiction
- Healed past wounds to effectively move forward
- Developed a supportive family network
- Improved family communication
- Strengthened family bond
- Developed healthy boundaries
- Defined roles for each member of the family
- Reduced hospitalization rates
- Relapse prevention
Moving Forward From Addiction: Understanding the Impact of Family Behavior on a Loved One's Addiction
Family members can have both positive and negative influences on a loved one’s active addiction and recovery. For example, if family members continue to abuse drugs or alcohol in front of their loved one who is in recovery, their actions can be problematic. Substance exposure can increase cravings, often leading to worsened mental health and a potential substance relapse. An unhealthy environment with abuse, trauma, tension, conflict, and a significant lack of support can hinder a loved one’s ability to recover. The inability to sort through traumatic life events as a family can also worsen one’s recovery process.
Moving Forward From Addiction: Promote Healthy Behavior With Family Therapy
Family support can help one replace past addictive behavior with positive behavior if each family member in family therapy is on the same page and wants the best for their loved one. Marking a good example is a smart start. Different types of support can positively impact a loved one’s addiction. Limiting substance exposure or abstaining from drugs or alcohol completely is critical to ensure a loved one stays on track to a safe recovery. Each family member can show support to positively impact a loved one’s journey through recovery. Different ways each family member can show support include:
- Remembering to practice self-care
- Providing transportation to and from outpatient care
- Picking up psychiatric medication as needed
- Taking time to understand their loved one’s condition
- Respecting their loved one day and night
- Understanding that recovery is a lifelong condition
Moving Forward From Addiction: Addressing Underlying Issues With Family Therapy
Once a loved one completes their treatment program and transitions into recovery, this does not mean all is well. Addiction recovery is a lifelong process. The healing stage involves repairing relationships with loved ones, setting achievable goals, and engaging in self-care for long-term abstinence. To mend relationships and move forward, one must acknowledge the underlying factors linked with their SUD or dual diagnosis.
Addressing the underlying issues in family therapy is important. Doing so can ensure each family member grasps a better understanding of their loved one’s past addictive behaviors. Communicating the past can help each family member understand how their actions may have influenced their loved one’s substance abuse. If family members understand what triggers affect their loved one’s condition, they can work together to prevent future recovery issues. Additional benefits that can come from addressing the root cause of addiction as a family include:
- Better decision making
- Prevention-focused culture
- Personal and relationship growth
- Stronger relationships
- Developed coping strategies
- Healing the mind and body
- Enhanced self-awareness
- Finding hope
- Relapse prevention
Moving Forward From Addiction: How Does Active Addiction Affect Relationships With Loved Ones?
Family members may have been mistreated by their loved ones with active addiction in the past. Severe SUD can hinder one’s ability to discontinue misusing harmful substances. Individuals with addiction may go to extreme measures to obtain their desired substance. For example, individuals may manipulate, lie, or steal prescription drugs and alcohol from family members. Those with SUD may also steal valuable items or money from loved ones to gain access to drugs or alcohol. Individuals with active addiction may also tend to avoid social events or outings with family members in favor of engaging in substance use.
Consequently, the aftermath of active addiction typically erodes trust and communication within a family unit. This can often mark emotional wounds that seem impossible to recover from. Both parties, the individual with SUD and their family members, may become hurt with built-up resentment toward each other. As a result, the emotional pain and burden that stems from active addiction hinder the healing process for the entire family without professional support.
Restoring Communication and Trust With Family Therapy at South Shore Recovery Center
Family members may have mistreated an individual in recovery in the past due to their lack of understanding regarding their condition. Therefore, many individuals facing problems in recovery often fear hurtful stigma, painful stereotypes, or pure judgment from their family members.
Fortunately, South Shore Recovery Center’s family therapy sessions provide a structured environment for open and honest conversations. Each session fosters support without scrutiny or judgment. Emotional support encourages individuals and their loved ones to express their feelings, fears, and hopes in a peaceful setting. Doing so can allow a safe space for restored trust and improved communication overall.
What Happens if Important Family Members Do Not Participate?
Some family members may not attend therapy. Not everyone may be willing to participate, which is to be expected. Different factors explain why a family member refuses to participate in a therapy session. Some individuals may worry about hurting their loved ones more or simply fear the unknown. Other family members may be tired of dealing with their loved one’s addiction.
Some family members may feel not even therapy could fix the damage that addiction has caused them. Family members may have tried a family intervention in the past and may feel skeptical about moving forward. It is also common for some individuals to feel uncomfortable opening up with a therapist or speaking with other members of the family they dislike.
Moving Forward With Family Therapy at South Shore Recovery Center
There are several possible reasons some family members avoid treatment altogether. However, the clinical team at South Shore Recovery Center kindly works with the family as a whole to sort out feelings of uncertainty and develop new coping mechanisms to promote ongoing stability. We teach a variety of techniques, including cognitive-behavioral strategies and mindfulness practices, to help our patients develop effective coping skills. By boosting their coping skills, each family member can better handle daily challenges and maintain a long-term commitment to a healthy recovery.
Not everyone may feel comfortable opening up about past trauma or sensitive topics. Our support group helps families approach unavoidable high-risk scenarios with a clear plan and a strengthened resilience to stay on track to healing. South Shore Recovery Center understands that every family’s recovery journey is unique. Our therapists work closely with each member of the family to explore any risk factors, underlying issues, traumas, or family history to manage and overcome them together as a team.
Moving Forward From a Relapse as a Family
There is no cure for addiction. It is highly common for some individuals to relapse within the first year after completing treatment. Unfortunate life events such as a death in the family, job loss, accident, breakup, or natural disaster can trigger a relapse. Patients at South Shore Recovery Center take comfort in knowing each family member will gain a strong understanding that relapse is a natural part of recovery. Family therapy can help prevent a tragic relapse and teach every member of the family new strategies to move forward from great hardship. Therapy can also help teach each family member to hold each other accountable for their actions.
Strategies to Overcome a Relapse Together as a Family
A substance relapse can feel like a major setback for the individual with SUD and the entire family. Repeating past addictive behavior can make one feel like a failure. Individuals who relapse may sometimes not feel worthy of recovery. Some individuals may find it difficult to accept love or help after re-engaging in substance use.
Nonetheless, showing the utmost support for a loved one in recovery may seem challenging, but doing so even after a relapse has occurred can be highly beneficial to everyone involved. Family members can go back to the drawing board and brainstorm new coping strategies and sober living skills to get back on track to recovery. Tips for recovering from a relapse together include:
- Participating in sober activities
- Going on a family vacation
- Marking the calendar for another family therapy session
- Frequently checking in on one another
- Re-establishing a structured routine
- Giving one another space as needed
Looking for support on your path to mental wellness and sustainable sobriety? South Shore Recovery Center’s outpatient team in Plymouth, MA, is here for you. Our evidence-based approach helps you manage trauma and stress and build resilience for a fulfilling future. Family therapy at South Shore Recovery Center equips families with tools to identify and address codependent behaviors. By encouraging independence and self-care, we can help break this cycle, fostering healthier patterns of interaction and supporting the individual’s recovery journey. We believe in building resilience and empowering you to reach your goals. Call South Shore Recovery Center at (774) 515-2878 for help overcoming addiction together for a better quality of life.
