Drug or alcohol rehab can save the life of an addict without question. That said, who is there to help the family members deal with their unresolved emotions toward the addict and subsequent damage that their family endured? Addiction has a talent for wreaking havoc on the lives of the addict's entire family. It's a common misconception to believe that drug and/or alcohol abuse only affect the abuser. In fact, addiction is a family disease.
Parents of addicts will often have anger and trust issues toward their child that remain after they leave drug or alcohol rehab as a result of things that happened before they were admitted. Children of drug addicts or alcoholics will also often harbor resentment towards their parents for pre-rehab occurrences, including feeling neglected or unloved by their parent, or feeling forced to grow up too quickly and be the responsible person in the household when their parent was unable.
Family Counseling in Drug or Alcohol Rehab
The first and most effective way to heal as a family and be better equipped to handle your loved one's return from drug or alcohol rehab is to regularly attend family counseling sessions at the treatment facility. Family therapy sessions can be very enlightening for all involved as to what drove the individual to start abusing drugs or alcohol in the first place. It's equally important for the family to understand the underlying issues that spurred the addiction as the addict him/herself. With that understanding will often come compassion, and with a skilled counselor navigating the discussion, the family member's can learn to repurpose their initial feelings of anger and resentment to those of love and support.
An additional huge resource for family members of addicts about to leave drug or alcohol rehab is Al-Anon and Nar-Anon. Al-Anon and Nar-Anon are support groups for family and friends of loved ones with alcohol and drug problems, respectively. These are networks of people who've had their lives touched by addiction that share their personal experiences with the intention of providing support and hope to others going through the same thing. Both of these programs follow the 12 step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to provide comfort to the family members and also empower them to provide understanding and encouragement to the addict in their life.
Parents of addicts will often have anger and trust issues toward their child that remain after they leave drug or alcohol rehab as a result of things that happened before they were admitted. Children of drug addicts or alcoholics will also often harbor resentment towards their parents for pre-rehab occurrences, including feeling neglected or unloved by their parent, or feeling forced to grow up too quickly and be the responsible person in the household when their parent was unable.
Family Counseling in Drug or Alcohol Rehab
The first and most effective way to heal as a family and be better equipped to handle your loved one's return from drug or alcohol rehab is to regularly attend family counseling sessions at the treatment facility. Family therapy sessions can be very enlightening for all involved as to what drove the individual to start abusing drugs or alcohol in the first place. It's equally important for the family to understand the underlying issues that spurred the addiction as the addict him/herself. With that understanding will often come compassion, and with a skilled counselor navigating the discussion, the family member's can learn to repurpose their initial feelings of anger and resentment to those of love and support.
Al-Anon and Nar-Anon
An additional huge resource for family members of addicts about to leave drug or alcohol rehab is Al-Anon and Nar-Anon. Al-Anon and Nar-Anon are support groups for family and friends of loved ones with alcohol and drug problems, respectively. These are networks of people who've had their lives touched by addiction that share their personal experiences with the intention of providing support and hope to others going through the same thing. Both of these programs follow the 12 step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to provide comfort to the family members and also empower them to provide understanding and encouragement to the addict in their life.
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