When you have a family member who abuses alcohol and/or drugs, whether getting the addict help or not, it’s an issue that affects everyone in the family. You not only need to address getting the addict help but you also need to get help with your own recovery so they can recover themselves.
Getting the addict help is the first step to their recovery. However, family members of addicts actually suffer often from codependency and need just as much, sometimes even more, help than the addicted relative.
There are lots of places that offer an addict help that he or she needs. The families of addicts also have somewhere to turn to in the form of organizations such as Families Anonymous. These types of organizations offer support and advice to families and friends of addicts. Experiences and worries are shared in a group discussion much like in places that offer addict help. Community alcohol and drugs support teams not just give the addict help but also give their loved ones help.
There are also rehabs and detox centers that offer the addict help that involves the family in group therapy sessions. This is a holistic approach to the problem by tackling not just the addiction but also the emotional, mental, social and spiritual aspects of it.
If you’re a younger member of the family and it’s the adult who happens to be the addict, there are other people to reach out to for help. Often times, a favorite teacher or a friend’s parents can be a good starting point in getting help. According to the National Association of Children of Addicts (NACOA), nearly 1 million children under 18 live with an addict in Britain alone. These children often feel responsible for the substance abuse and the stress, arguments and violence that may go with it. While the relative is getting addict help, another adult may help in getting the children to understand that it’s not their fault.
A good way to give an addict help, as well as to help families cope, is to not give up on them. There is always hope. While you, as a family member is getting the addict help, focus on your own recovery instead of focusing uniquely on his or hers as the professionals giving the addict help do enough of that.
Once your relative gets out of rehab, it doesn’t mean that the issues are over. Getting the addict help that he or she needs is just the first step to recovery. Once the individual returns home, the family needs to be more patient as a recovering addict may still have withstanding issues. Family members not only have to be more understanding but also need to be more forceful with setting up rules to give the recovering addict help that he or she needs at home.
Author: National Addiction Resources
America's Best Treatment Directory
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