By: Lakeview Health
It is a common scenario for an individual to go into drug rehab or addiction treatment and to assume that things will immediately get better not only for the patient but also for the family after treatment. The truth of the matter is that drug and alcohol addiction don’t just cause harm and damage to the individual in treatment; it also creates a great deal of stress and turmoil within that person’s family. And more often than not, families play a critical role in helping an individual find the road to recovery. Unfortunately, the converse is also true; families can also prolong and enable addiction. The fact that families play such a vital role in the addiction and recovery process has caused some to refer to addiction as a family disease.
The Problems With Family
For all of the joy that family can bring, there are also detriments. This fact can be doubly true when a member of the family is suffering at the ends of addiction. In the first place, individuals tend to play particular roles in their families. Psychologists have isolated many of these and categorized them under different names. There is the “savior,” who tries to deflect from the shame of the addicted family member by making them look good, the “enabler,” who downplays and excuses the behavior of the addicted family member, and the “scapegoat,” who is ultimately blamed for the actions of the addicted family member, among many others.
This kind of role assignment can be extremely detrimental to any family. But it is particularly damaging to a family that is dealing with addiction. And these problems are exacerbated when the family experiencing addiction issues returns home after rehab and is encouraged to fall back into these old roles and patterns.
The Importance of Recovering in a Family Program
Fortunately, quality addiction treatment centers like Lakeview Health can provide a family program that allows the entire family and the addict to recover from the harm caused by addiction. During a family program, the members of a patient’s family will work with other addicts to learn about the disease of addiction, including what fuels it and how their actions may have contributed to their family member’s condition. Family members will also learn how to create healthy boundaries. In a family program, participants will learn that they cannot save their suffering family members but that they can support them in their journey to recovery. Similarly, the addict that is in recovery will work with family members of other addicts in their inpatient treatment program. There they will learn how their actions have harmed their family members.
Family programs have proven to be a hugely positive learning experience for all involved. The overall purpose of a family program is to help and guide a family in recovering their relationship and rebuild a healthy, resilient family system. For an addict to recover from their addiction, their family members must learn how to support their recovering loved one without enabling them.
Contact Us Today
Family therapy programs like the one at Lakeview Health have years of experience treating all manners of addiction in a family setting. If you or someone you love is dealing with the disease of addiction, don’t hesitate. Contact Lakeview Health today online, or by calling [Direct].
