When people think about addiction, they often focus on the effect that it has on the individual who struggles with substance abuse. However, addiction is often referred to as a family disease – and for good reason.
Addiction affects the entire family, often causing each member of the family to adopt a dysfunctional role. This happens as the family members attempt to cope with their addicted loved one’s behavior and as they struggle to determine how to help them. However, these dysfunctional family roles also contribute to the cycle of addiction, exacerbating and enabling the behaviors associated with compulsive substance abuse.
When an individual gets sober and recovers from addiction their family must also work on their own forms of recovery. Without familial support and healing, the cycle of addiction often continues.
If your loved one is recovering from addiction, you need to understand what this means for your entire family. Let’s take a look at what recovery means for family members, how to confront dysfunctional family roles, and how to support a loved one in addiction recovery.
When one of your family members suffers from addiction, the entire family takes on a dysfunctional role. The dysfunctional family roles associated with addiction include:
While these roles are often adopted as a response to your addicted loved one’s behaviors, they can be extremely damaging for the addict and the rest of your family. Oftentimes, these roles are a form of codependency and enabling and are used to attempt to cover for the addict or lessen the effects of their consequences. Lingering effects of these dysfunctional roles can continue influencing the family unit even after the addict has stopped using drugs or alcohol.
Because of this, your family must begin to confront their dysfunctional roles and work on healing as a family. One of the best ways to deconstruct these roles within your family is by participating in Structured Family RecoveryⓇ with the Recovery Guide. This form of therapy helps each member of the family get involved in addiction recovery, address their own negative behaviors, and heal as a family unit.
According to the U.S. Library of Medicine, “Each family and each family member is uniquely affected by the individual using substances including but not limited to having unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her… Thus, treating only the individual with the active disease of addiction is limited in effectiveness.”[1]
In other words, when your loved one suffers from addiction it is just as important for your entire family to receive treatment as it is for them.
Without treating your entire family, other members of your family will continue to suffer from mental, emotional, and social issues. Additionally, when your recovering loved one returns home, the untreated addictive behaviors that remain in the household could begin to affect their ability to remain sober.
Family support is important for the addict, too. Studies have shown that family involvement in recovery can improve treatment entry, retention, completion, and success. When people struggling with addiction have the support of their family, they are more likely to complete treatment and stay sober afterward.[2]
There are many ways to support your loved ones while they recover from addiction. First and foremost, you should offer your unconditional support in their recovery journey. However, it is important to put some action behind that statement.
If they are attending a residential rehab program, the best way to support them is to attend any family counseling groups that their therapist recommends with an open mind and willingness to participate.
Other ways to support a loved one in addiction recovery include:
If one of your family members suffers from addiction, they must receive professional treatment. However, it is of equal importance that your entire family undergoes professional treatment to deconstruct the dysfunctional family roles associated with addiction.
Thankfully, The Recovery Guide is experienced in helping families recover from the effects of addiction by utilizing Structured Family RecoveryⓇ. Using these methods, Michael Herbert can help your family work together, create a recovery plan, and learn to function as a healthy family unit.
Michael Herbert, The Recovery Guide, has more than 30 years of experience working closely with individuals and families dealing with addiction and recovery issues. He is a seasoned Coach and can help you and your family establish long-term goals and access the tools you need for continued abstinence and recovery for the entire family. Get in touch with Michael today at 561-221-7677 to schedule an appointment.
References:
