Rehabs Incorporating Whole Family Treatment
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Rehabs Incorporating Whole Family Treatment

If you or someone you love are battling alcoholism or addiction, you may want to consider whole family treatment. Of course, the addicted person needs to undergo individual psychological treatment to learn the dangers of addiction and how to develop coping mechanisms as well as medical treatment to successfully detox from alcohol or drugs and prevent relapse. However, the tides of substance abuse are long, wide, and dangerous. If there is an addicted person in your family, the entire family needs intervention to recover, not just the person who is addicted.

Why Choose Whole Family Treatment?

Addiction Affects Everyone

Dependency in a family creates a huge gulf in close relationships and bonds. The addicted individual has proven time and time again that the family–spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc.–is no longer his or her top priority. The top priority for the longest time has been obsessively thinking about the preferred substance, spending excessive amounts of time using this substance or trying to obtain it.

An addicted person has become a victim of his or her drug whether that be cocaine, prescription pills, sex, gambling, food or a number of other addictions. He or she has grown distant, violent, and/or depressed. Lies leave the addicted individual’s tongue without a second thought. Family members are often caught in the crossfire. The lies, anger, and inappropriate behavior slowly starts to erode relationships until there is very little left to tie you together.

What’s more, studies show that there may be a genetic component to drug addiction which means that addiction in families can often create a greater likelihood for children and adolescents to someday abuse drugs. Whole family treatment may help to resolve existing issues and prevent this from happening.

Families Need to Be Aware and Educated

In addition to the family being affected by addiction, it is also affected by recovery. Therefore, the family needs to be greatly involved in whole family treatment to assure success. An addicted person will have a difficult time trying to reestablish the bonds that have been broken. Family will probably give you a hard time because they view your disease as the root of all their problems. They will have trouble believing you because you have told so many lies. They are resistant to opening up to you again because they fear the vulnerability that can cause them further damage.

Educating the family about the characteristics of addiction will help them to view your addiction more objectively. Oftentimes, families take addiction personally. They feel like they are responsible for substance abuse, and that they alone can fix it. They need to understand that conventional logic does not work against the disease that is addiction and they must seek professional help to fully heal. Plus, families need adequate support and guidance of how to help you get better after you begin treatment. Education, therapy, and family support groups can all help them come to terms with your drinking or drug use and learn how to help you down the road to recovery.

What is Whole Family Treatment?

Family Intervention

If you are concerned about someone else in your family and their addiction, one way to begin the recovery process is to plan an intervention. The first step in whole family treatment is to gather your loved ones in the presence of a qualified interventionist. Plan for the addict to meet you and then confront them about their dependency: how it has damaged relationships, careers, health and finances.

If the intervention is successful, the next step is usually to enroll the addict into a detoxification and rehabilitation program. This can be a very effective technique that allows the addict to truly see how their addiction has affected the entire family. However, an intervention is most effective when someone who is trained on the nature of addiction is present and facilitating the process.

Family and Rehab

If an intervention is not necessary, and the addict volunteers to enroll in a treatment program, the family can still play an active role in treatment. Most rehab programs like Caron Renaissance–which has locations around the United States–focus on whole family treatment. On an outpatient treatment basis, the family may hold the responsibility of providing a safe environment for the addict to return to after completing a day-treatment program. On the other hand, in an inpatient or residential program the family may visit regularly to offer support to the addict in recovery.

Typically, in a successful whole family treatment program, the family will participate in family therapy. This is facilitated by a trained family therapist. In family therapy, the family may be given the opportunity to share concerns and hurts caused by the addiction and the addict may be given the opportunity to share remorse and apologies. Family therapy for addiction is focused on creating a healthier family dynamic that can allow the addict–and the family members–to heal. Another goal of family therapy is to resolve many of difficulties that may have preceded the substance abuse. Troubles over money, conflict in marriage, or domestic violence may have contributed to the addiction, and, therefore, must be overcome for long-term recovery.

Characteristics of Whole Family Treatment Programs

Regardless of the approach of a particular rehab program, family treatment typically includes the following:

  • education about addiction as a chronic disease
  • development of more adaptive coping skills to deal with family issues
  • resolving preexisting problems that may contribute to the addiction
  • fostering improved communication and problem-solving strategies
  • teaching family members how to offer support and love to a recovering addict
  • commitment of the whole family in the addict’s treatment and recovery
  • identifying behaviors in family members that may have arisen due to substance abuse (i.e. rebelliousness and/or trouble in school in the children, infidelity in a marriage, etc.)
  • developing strategies as a family to maintain a safe environment for the recovering addict
  • learning skills that prevent relapse
  • attending support groups with other families affected by addiction

Coping with a loved one who has an addiction can cause undue suffering for the whole family. It is important that treatment is approached from the perspective of not only healing the addict but the entire family dynamic. Family members play an integral role in the success of a recovering addict and they have a large responsibility in helping their loved one through the challenges.

If you are ready to begin a whole family treatment program, contact one of the centers featured on RehabReviews. Many programs accept a wide variety of insurances to help cover the costs of therapy. Show your concern for the well-being of your family by getting the help you need today.

[Source: NCADD, Drugabuse.gov]