Addiction affects family members as profoundly as it affects the person experiencing a substance use disorder. Often, by the time a person begins looking into substance abuse programs for their loved one, the situation has escalated to the point of crisis harming more than just the person experiencing addiction.
Sophros Recovery provides a variety of outpatient treatment options for people suffering with substance use disorders in addition to offering extensive family support for addiction. We understand that all family members are impacted and need help and support to cope with the intense stress of a loved one’s addiction. To learn more about our programs, and get the support that you and your loved ones need and deserve, call us at 866.374.0541.
Making the Most of Addiction Recovery with Family Support
Enlisting family support in a structured way can significantly enhance the process of addiction recovery and help create more lasting positive change. Family support programs for addiction recovery are highly beneficial both to the person experiencing addiction and to the family members affected by it.
In rehab, a person experiencing substance use disorder will learn new coping skills and start to form healthier habits. When the whole family is involved in the recovery process, family members have the opportunity to work through their own addiction-related trauma which, in turn, allows them to provide more focused and effective reinforcement for the person in recovery.
A person is only as strong as their network, and someone recovering from a substance use disorder may require more from their family network. Additionally, addiction takes a massive toll on loved ones, and family support groups offer people who love someone experiencing addiction the essential skills and opportunity to practice putting on their own masks first.
What Are Family Support Groups for Addiction?
Family support groups are structured educational and therapeutic programs available to family members whether or not their loved one experiencing addiction chooses to pursue treatment. Furthermore, family support groups can positively benefit the person experiencing addiction even if they choose not to seek treatment.
For family members, the benefits of this type of support—learning to care for themselves in the midst of a loved one’s addiction, processing trauma, practicing positive coping skills, and simply being able to communicate with other people who are experiencing the same thing—are essential to minimizing the harmful effects of addiction.
A family support group can involve:
- Education about the disease of addiction
- Peer support
- Learning and practicing healthier coping skills
- Building positive communication skills
- Problem-solving
- Encouraging treatment
- Goal-setting
- Understanding the role of relapse
- Positive reinforcement
- Connecting with people in similar situations
- Support in coping with the repercussions of addiction
- Learning how to set healthy boundaries
- Learning how to avoid enabling behaviors
- Letting go of anger and resentment
- Recognizing what led to addiction and gaining a more thorough understanding of a loved one’s perspective
Family support groups are appropriate for anyone who is affected by a loved one’s addiction, from parents, to siblings, to children, to spouses and significant others, to caregivers. If a loved one’s addiction causes pain and havoc in your life, then a family support group may provide the support and resources you need.
Learn More About Family Support for Addiction with Sophros
At Sophros Recovery, we understand that addiction is a community disease. We are mindful of the wide-reaching, and intense effects this disease has on those who love a person suffering from addiction.
We offer extensive family support resources from peer support groups to individual counseling. Our team is passionate about and experienced in the work of family support for addiction. If someone you love is experiencing a substance use disorder, we can help. Call us today at 866.374.0541 to learn more about what’s available.
