Family Program for Addiction

For anyone who has a loved one with a substance abuse problem, you understand that addiction affects more than just the person abusing drugs or alcohol. It is a disease that can take over a person’s life and their loved ones may become collateral damage as a result. From strained relationships to toxic family dynamics, one family member’s drug or alcohol addiction can wreak havoc on the family unit as a whole. Luckily, there are programs for the families of addicts in order to help everyone heal and move forward.

Alcoholism or Drug Addiction & Family Dynamics

As a drug abuse rehab in PA, we know that because addiction affects more than just the person using, the entire family needs to rebuild, so family programs for addiction are often necessary.

Family members may harbor feelings of guilt, shame, mistrust, anger, self-blame, or hopelessness from their loved one’s addiction. Not only can this lead to poor mental health for the individual family members, but if these feelings are not properly addressed, they can become toxic and make matters worse for the family as a whole. The result may be broken or unhealthy relationships that could even be making the addiction worse. In order for each family member to come to terms with their emotions and for the family to move forward as a unit, formal counseling for family members of drug addicts or alcoholics becomes an imperative step, not just for the families but for the addict as well.

One of the biggest determining factors of a recovering addict’s long-term success is the amount of support they receive in recovery. Family can be the best source of support as they transition back into their everyday lives and try to rebuild, but these relationships could also be their downfall. Many family members of recovering addicts are simply lost on the best approach to help their loved one or how to act around them. This is where educational family programs can help as family members learn about addiction and how to support their loved one without falling back into bad habits like enabling.

Help for Family Members of Drug Addicts & Alcoholics

While drug detox and treatment programs focus on the addict, family programs for addiction focus on help for families of addicts or alcoholics during the recovery process. They not only enhance the recovery of the addict but also focuses on the people who were also affected by the substance abuse problems of the addict.

At Clearbrook Treatment Centers, our Pennsylvania family program for addiction provides help for both family members and the recovering addict. Addiction can affect everyone differently, so it is important that the entire family unit has the opportunity to come together and heal from the substance abuse.

Just like patients in our drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs, families participate in group therapy and individual counseling sessions. Group therapy for family members of addicts allows each person to confront the addict in a more controlled and secure environment. Individual therapy sessions allow the family member to voice their concerns about anything they may not be comfortable sharing in a group. Together, these counseling sessions can help the family member feel like they are being heard in order to be able to move past the substance abuse disorder.

Along with having a safe place to speak their minds, education is an important part of helping family members of addicts. Loved ones will learn about addiction as a whole, including enabling behaviors that may be contributing to the problem. They will also learn how to better handle addictive behaviors in the future to avoid falling back into this dangerous cycle. Through various exercises and role-playing, our family program for addiction will also help family members better understand what their loved one is going through.

Along with helping the family members of addicts, the addict in recovery will also benefit. Many recovering addicts are vulnerable to relapse, but having a good support system like the one created through this program can help. These programs will also help the person in recovery understand where their loved ones are coming from and how they hurt them.

Get Started Today

Families are encouraged to take advantage of the Clearbrook Family Program during their loved one’s residential addiction treatment. The addiction family program is provided to family members of recovering addicts three weekends a month. It begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and ends at noon on Sunday. Because we understand that family is not always blood, our family programs are also open to those people who are not related to the addict but may benefit from the program.

If you would like to learn more about the Clearbrook Family Educational Program for Addiction, contact us today. We have been bringing families closer through the recovery process for many years and your family could be next.