THE FUNCTION OF THE FAMILY IN OVERCOMING ADDICTION
When an individual is faced with addiction, the whole family is affected. If someone you love is addicted, you might feel helpless, and angry at both yourself and your loved one. Some school of thoughts refer to addiction as a family disease.
However, when the family is involved in addiction recovery, there is a great positive impact which it could have on the addicted individual.
Family therapy is one of the proficient ways to help an addicted family member. When the family is involved, there is a greater success rate. Addiction has been known to cause separation in families, and strains in relationships. However, with family therapy, communication will be strengthened between members of the family, and any existing damage will be repaired.
Therapy also assists family members in knowing more about addiction, seeing it as a chronic and brain disorder. Hence, family members would best know how to provide the needed support for their loved one.
In addition to this, social support also comes in handy during the early period of addiction recovery. It is quintessential to have a circle of loved ones and friends who would help to reduce the feelings of frustration and isolation which are usual during this phase.
As a family, it is needed for everyone to create an open line of communication with the recovering family member. If your relationship has been affected due to the addiction, then you need to employ the communication tips you learnt in family therapy, which would help you douse the tension and inspire a clear and honest dialogue.
It would be great to spend ample time with your recovering family member, and carrying out activities which would assist their recovery.
It is necessary to be cautious while expecting your loved one to recover quick. Addiction is chronic, and this implies that, there is a possibility of relapse. This does not mean they are failures; it simply suggests that they need more time to handle the existing addiction triggers. Hence, you need to help your family member through this phase, by ensuring they attend their relapse prevention or aftercare program.