Family and Substance Abuse: Family Support in Recovery

It is a misconception of most people that when there is an addict in the family, he/she should be treated and once they come back they should be cured. The reality is that in dealing with an addict, it is the family which bears the first effects of the malady. The addict is happy in his drunk/drugged state but the family lives with concern and pain. Usually the family goes through the following:

• Denial: It is usually hard for the family to accept that a loved one has started using alcohol or other substances much less that they could be addicted. There is a period of shocked disbelief.
• Anger: There is anger that they choose to use substances and seem not to care about the consequences for themselves and the family.
• Bargaining: The family goes through a phase of trying to get the addict to use less or stop.
• Grief: As addiction increases its hold on the addict, the family experiences grief about the state the loved one has gotten into.
• Acceptance: Finally they accept that their loved one has lost control and seek help, and turn to rehab centres for drug addicts.

It is therefore imperative that the family learns about Addiction if they want to help the addicted person. This is found in rehab centre for drug addicts.

What to do after the Addict has gone through a treatment program from some Rehab in India?

As Addiction involves the family so Recovery also involves the family. To achieve a lifelong ongoing recovery the addict does need all the support he/she can get. They have expectations from the family and are very vulnerable and sensitive to how the family is treating them. The family too has expectations, but some things should be kept in mind:

• The family should be loving but reserve their trust until some time has gone by.
• Support should be given for all positive desires within reason and capacity.
• Old anger, things that happened in the past should not be brought up.
• Understand that all addicts can relapse so any expectation of being cured should be removed from the mind.
• Encourage the addict when he expresses a desire to be more useful and assign some responsibilities.
• The family should check their own behaviours and emotions to see if subconsciously or unknowingly they are triggering the addict into negativity. This is very often the case.

In conclusion, this is a family disease and along with the addict, the family too needs to recover.