FAMILY INTENSIVE SERIVCES

WHY ARE LOVED ONES ENCOURAGED TO SEEK THERAPY?

Often, the people closest to an addict play a major role in motivating them to seek help. This could be through a frank conversation about their concerns with their loved one’s drinking or drug habits, a formal intervention with an addiction professional, or the eventual consequence of family and loved ones who can no longer be a part of the addict’s lifestyle detaching altogether. Not only does research support family involvement in the recovery process being linked to higher recovery rates, it also recognizes the toll that loving someone with an addiction takes on a person or group ¹.

In family therapy, members of the family have the opportunity to talk through how their loved one’s addiction has affected them personally, but it also gives a healthy pathway to discuss the ways that their relationship with the addict may have impacted their connection with other family members as well. A husband who resents his wife for enabling their addicted child, a wife who blames their child’s addiction on her husband’s emotional distance, a sibling who feels unseen by parents who seem consumed by the needs of another child – these fractures affect the entire organism of the family system, and it doesn’t stop with biological family either. Friends, romantic partners, and chosen family all suffer disruption to relationships when addiction takes over; and they all play a role in helping their loved one overcome addiction – but they have to help themselves first. Whether it’s family therapy focusing on healthy communication or individual therapy focusing on codependent behaviors, when loved ones are willing to join in the intricacies of recovery by recognizing the parts of themselves that may also need healing, there is a consistently better outcome for all involved ³.

DOES MY LOVED ONE NEED TO BE IN TREATMENT BEFORE I CAN RECEIVE FAMILY-INTENSIVE THERAPY?

While we want nothing more than for every member of every family to overcome the total upheaval addiction brings, we know not everyone is ready and willing to accept help at the same time. Regardless, it’s never too early to start working on rebuilding the relationships with your family members, friends, partners, and yourself. The more united of a front you can present to your loved one struggling with addiction, the more likely they are to accept help and begin treatment 2. Your healing is not dependent on anyone else’s timeline, and we are here to help you each step of the way – regardless of what those steps may look like.