Addiction is a family disease. People struggling with addiction and substance use disorders often end up suffering alone, cut off from their families and loved ones, but that rarely happens overnight. It happens over months, years, and in some cases, even decades. Close family members, spouses, and friends have a front-row seat as the disease progresses. They can feel the negative aspects of addiction almost as acutely as those in active addiction. They may experience fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, and in some extreme cases, physical or emotional abuse. It is important for there to be family support for addiction.
Families do their best to help, but neither the disease nor the addict comes with an instruction manual. Most families try to protect their loved one in any way they can think of. They may try to restrict or control access to alcohol or drugs. They may take away car keys. Families may make phone calls to the workplace to explain lateness, absence, or impaired performance. They may try to keep the addiction a secret to avoid the shame or stigma attached to alcohol and substance abuse. Sometimes, however, these actions have the opposite effect of what the family intends: they end up enabling the addictive behavior to continue, and family members fall into a state of co-dependency, which further complicates the situation. Family support for addiction in Florida is a critical addiction treatment resource for any family that has been impacted by the disease of addiction.
If you have a family member, friend, or loved one suffering from alcohol addiction or a substance use disorder, you know we’re not exaggerating. You may not realize this yet, but you need family support for addiction, too.
We’re here to offer that support. We’re here to help.
For individuals who participate in our residential program in Jacksonville, FL, we offer a three-day family workshop based on the most current, evidence-based practices in the science of addiction recovery. The core of our family workshop is an introduction to Family Systems Theory, which recognizes that every person who struggles with addiction – and therefore every single one of our clients – is part of a complex web of emotional relationships that make up what’s known as a family system. Family Systems Theory proposes that it’s impossible to understand an individual without considering the family they come from. Sometimes, addiction causes the primary relationships in the family system to become dysfunctional.
We work with families to heal those relationships and help both the individual struggling with addiction and their family members to move forward in a healthy way. We’re committed to teaching families how to mend fences, heal past wounds, and restore balance.
Family engagement is an important part of our holistic, integrative approach to addiction treatment and recovery. Here at Lakeview Health, we promote growth and healing at the level most appropriate for each family and work to proactively include the family system as part of the treatment process.
We welcome immediate family, extended family, partners, and close friends. We include anyone okayed by the person in treatment.
Taking the first step towards recovery can be daunting, but knowing your options for care is paramount to your success. Fill out the form below and one of our team members will reach out to help you get started.