Families play a big role in the recovery process of an addict. It is therefore important for spouses, siblings, parents, children, friends and others to have an idea on how they can help. If your loved one is struggling with addiction, you may have to consider learning certain skills to be of effective support.
Addiction can happen to anyone, including families filled with love or even communities. When one is going through addiction, family members and friends are often directly affected. That is why it is important for family members and friends to have a good understanding of addiction and how to take care of their own health and well-being. This helps you provide the support needed toward the healing of your loved one.
- You need to learn concrete information about addiction.
Education can help families escape the blame game. Rather than believe that the person’s addiction stems from weakness, willfulness or stubbornness, it might be helpful to understand how it actually stems from changes within the brain. Understanding that addiction is not a choice might help you let go of anger and resentment you may be feeling about your loved one’s addiction.
- Connect with understanding non-addict peers
It never easy to live with or support someone who has an addiction. Addiction in someone close can be a stressful life situation that can be persistent for years. That long-term disfunction can make it hard for families to communicate clearly. There can be array of mistrust between every member of a family touched by the addiction. Families can organize for profession support where they are provided with safe, nonjudge mental space to learn and discuss ways to effectively cope with the situation. With this kind of support, families can experience;
- Better quality of life
- Fewer problems with the addicted person
- Lower levels of tress
- Improved psychological health.
The psychosocial support meetings help families to connect and identify with other families. Listening to other family members may cab feelings of isolation and doubt. Families may also get the skills they need to better handle the interpersonal problems they may be facing. These meetings can help families learn how to appropriately handle their loved one.
- Go to family therapy sessions.
Spouses, siblings and parents of addicts often absorb many of the consequences of their loved one’s substance use. Many people have a hard time talking openly about the behavior that is harming them, so they say nothing. They may blame themselves when the addiction persists or blame the addicted person for their unhappiness. The silences and blame games can hold the family back from seeking for help. Family members may not have the tools on their own to assist someone in active recovery and they may not have the energy and the motivation to help themselves.
Family therapy programs are designed to break down distrust and guilt by giving everyone a chance to be heard. It helps family members understand each other and be able to work through conflict in a healthy way. Families that are defined by anger, resentment and addiction can grow into close knit units that are able to support one another through honest communication and healthy boundaries.
Family therapy sessions can take time, and it can be tempting to skip sessions, particularly for those with a number of conflicting appointments and agendas. However, this work is vital to the mental health of everyone involved.
- Prepare meals and eat together
A family meal allows everyone to reconnect at the end of a day that may have been stressful, lonely or upsetting. Meals together help build upon the work done in family therapy, and the ritual of eating together can promote a sense of common ground and togetherness. Spending time tiding up together can increase the benefits even just once in a while.
- Manage your expectation
The journey to recovery from addiction can be along one. The family can easily be carried away by a sense of hope that everyone might feel when an addict embarks on this path. Sometimes it can take a long time for the behaviors and patterns associated with addiction to really change. The person may hold on to old habits or become frustrated with recovery process. This can lead to disappointments. A relapse can especially be disheartening. It is helpful to remember this does not lead to failure, both on your part and on the part of your loved one. It can be a normal part of recovery. Recovery is a life time journey of ups and downs not a single event.
It is important to manage expectations for yourself and other family members. It takes time and effort for relationships to heal. Families in early recovery may make mistakes and they may not be their ideal selves, but they can still enjoy their time together and actively support one another. Even if things are not “perfect,” they can still be more meaningful as you work together towards freedom from addiction.
- Stay in touch with personal joy
Managing expectations is a little easier when individuals are responsible for their own bliss. That means every member of a recovering family needs to take time to do something that is relaxing and fulfilling for them. Activities that make you feel happy can preserve a sense of efficacy and worth and help boost mental health. Get in to doing something that produces something tangible for the time spent. It can be a great comfort.
- Get regular exercise
Exercise sessions could deliver considerable benefits. Exercise has the proven ability to reduce stress and depression. Stretching muscles and pushing tendons, prompts the brain to pleasure chemicals. High energy exercise sessions can help families vent their worry and stress in healthy ways that do not harm others and do not cause lasting scars.
- Adhere to formal sleep/wake schedule.
Regular sleep loss can make the recovery process more difficult. Deprivation of sleep can cause anger, stress, sadness and mental exhaustion. People need enough sleep to feel their best, and families can better assist with recovery when they are physically and mentally refreshed. Creating a regular sleep schedule with fixed bedtimes and wake times can help prime the brain for deep sleep.
- Schedule for therapy sessions
Family alterations can be a big help in time of crises. Addiction can cause deep wounds that families can often regulate by seeking professional help. It is obvious, that families of addicted people experience increased levels of anxiety and depression. Care givers can feel worn out from everything they are asked to do for the addicted family member and they may not have access to healthy coping skills that could help them. Siblings or children can feel forgotten or feel like they have to do better to make up for the addicted person, leading to low self-esteem and guilt.
A private therapy session is a safe place for stressed family members to talk openly and work through issues. Sessions follow skills-based format, in which caregivers learn more about how to deal with destructive thoughts and habits developed during years of addictive behavior. They might learn to meditate to handle stress or they might work on assertiveness skills. They might do group work involving anger management, or they might learn how to let go of codependent behaviors so they do not feel responsible for the poor choices of others.
It takes time to go for personal therapy sessions, and there is often homework to complete between sessions. It also comes with a number of very real benefits. Family members who spend their time in these sessions may get the help they need in order to help others, and they may find the strength and resolve that has been missing until now.
- Educate and Advocate
There is a lot of misinformation about addiction. To some people, addiction is a form of weakness and they have no problem sharing their views, even in casual conversation. To others, addiction is something family members should either fix or ignore. Sometimes a family is isolated by being judged or labeled as “enabling”. There are times when the community uses a language that promotes stigma. Families strive to save their image and shield themselves from harsh words or careless statements from distance relatives, friends, neighbors and acquaintances. It is difficult to stay positive in such an environment.
Families advocating for themselves and on behalf of their loved one struggling with addiction is brave. It is a vital, empowering and health-affirming thing to do. Rather than suffer silently and fuming, families that speak up are doing something to make things better. Such advocacy may have a wonderful impact on a families’ confidence This can also impact positively on the community.
- Help Is Available
If your family is living with addiction, you do not have to walk the path to recovery alone. There are addiction recovery programmes, with family and individual counselling. Support from family members and friends can be an integral part of a successful recovery. Friends and family members who stay informed and take care of their mental and physical health are better equipped to deal with addiction, support their loved ones and put their family back on the path to life free from addiction.