If you have a family member in an alcohol rehab or substance abuse recovery center, family involvement can significantly improve their chances for a healthy, happy and sober future.
Family involvement can help to reinforce positive behaviors and new lifestyle patterns. Conversely, not taking an active role in your loved one’s road to recovery may doom them to relapse.
The first step to helping your family member after rehab is understanding the complex nature of the recovery process.
Family Relationships & Addiction
For your loved one to succeed in getting sober, you and other family members may have to adjust some of your own behavior patterns.
Although any addicted person is responsible for their own behaviors, interactions family members and others in the household can influence an alcoholic’s behavior patterns. For example, unresolved relationship issues, codependence, infighting and substance use by other family members can stand in the way of a full recovery.
Going to family therapy can be helpful as can seeking counseling individually. A therapist can help you understand how your behaviors may be affecting or enabling your loved one in their alcohol abuse.
Getting Involved in Your Family Member’s Recovery Plan
While in the alcohol rehab center, your family member will have the benefit of an individualized treatment plan. When they leave the recovery center, they will also have a long-term plan for recovery.
Learning about and getting involved in the recovery plan as early as possible can help you prepare for their return home. You will have more time to identify what they will need when they get home and make plans to provide that support.
You know your family member better than anyone and, if possible, share your insights with the rehab center treatment team. This can assist them in developing the best possible recovery plan.
Providing a Supportive Post-Alcohol Rehab Environment
Alcohol recovery centers work extremely well because they provide an escape from the daily influences and habits that allowed substance abuse to continue.
When your family member leaves the treatment center, they will be well-prepared with the strategies they need to succeed on the outside. However, if they return home to the status quo, they will need support to avoid falling back into the same old patterns. And this may require you and other family members to make changes at home.
It’s important to remember that family members may have experienced emotional pain as a result of their loved one’s addiction. Recovery is a long, slow process for everyone involved – and it’s definitely a team effort. This will likely involve family therapy and possibly individual treatment for some members of your family.
Located in Pocatello, Idaho, Moonlight Mountain Recovery uses a holistic approach and individualized treatment to provide residents with the knowledge and skills necessary to overcome alcohol addiction. We use evidence-based therapies that focus on mind, body and spirit, allowing is to identify and address the root cause of alcohol abuse rather than simply treating the symptoms.
If you or a family member is struggling with addiction, contact us today to learn more about how our inpatient alcohol rehab programs can help.
