Can a Family Get Help through Addiction Treatment?

Drug addiction is a family disease.  When a family member is addicted to drugs or alcohol the whole family will suffer. Children are neglected, and spouse’s feelings and needs are put aside by the addict so that they can feed their addiction.  Once addicted to drugs or alcohol priorities go out the window. The only priority is where the next “fix” or drink is going to come from.  Quality addiction treatment will offer family programs for family members of suffering addicts. Is he going to be in a bad mood tonight?  Will she come home tonight? Are we going to have enough money to pay the bills? These are all common questions that family members of an alcoholic or addict ask themselves on a daily basis.  While this is going on all the suffering addict is concerned about is getting more alcohol or drugs to fuel their addiction. It is not uncommon for family members to start enabling the alcoholic or drug addict. Family members will bail the addicted family member out of whatever trouble they get into as a result of their substance abuse problem. They will not allow the addict to deal with their consequences on their own. A reputable drug and alcohol treatment facility will offer a family program.  A family program will teach family members how they have been affected by their family member’s disease of addiction.  It will teach the family members the necessary steps they are going to have to take in order to recover from the damage.  A family can become so focused on the suffering addict they are affected emotionally, mentally, physically, socially and spiritually. During family programs family members will learn how to create healthy boundaries and how to help an addict or alcoholic family member.  Participants in a family program will be introduced to Al-anon which is a support group for family members and friends of alcoholics and addicts. During a family program the participants will work with individuals who suffer from addiction to learn more about the disease. This type of setting will allow family program participants to talk with each other about how they have been affected by addiction with others that are in the same situation as them.  Processing emotions with others in the same boat is very beneficial and a great learning tool.  Meaningful bonds are formed in family programs. A family program will provide invaluable information to those who have been affected by a friend or family member’s addiction.  Most people are not aware how much they are affected by someone else’s addiction and are unsure the role they have played in that person’s life.  A family program can help sort all of those feelings out.