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The Role of Family in Addiction Therapy

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In every addiction case, the immediate family members also suffer the adverse effects resulting from the change in the behavior of the addict.

The effects include; impairment in communication, disruption of family attachments, disruption of finances, and, in some extreme cases, the emergence of violence.

?In light of this, it?s important to involve family members in the treatment plan of an affected individual and define healthy roles.

Negative Roles That Families Take Up to Deal With an Addiction Problem

  • The hero – They try to compensate for the shame that the addict brings by being the well-mannered ?superstar.?
  • The caretaker – They try to downplay the excesses of the addict to hide the embarrassment their loved one brings. They?re often unable to hold the addict accountable for their actions.
  • The mascot – They try to ease the tense family by using humor as a relief.
  • The scapegoat – They distract the family from the addiction problem by providing a set of other new issues for the family to deal with.
  • The lost child – They avoid friction and hide their emotions not to drain the already stressed-out family.

All these are negative roles that family members play in dealing with the situation, causing the addiction problem of their loved ones to worsen.

Here is how the family plays a positive role in the mental health of a recovering addict.

Family Role During Treatment

The role of the family begins before the dysfunctions start revealing themselves. The family may have tried interventions to help their loved one without success.

At this stage, the family decides to involve mental health experts in rehab. You can?visit this website?to find out the different forms of therapy offered that can help your loved one recover quickly.

The duties of the family during this stage include;

  • Understanding the addiction – The family has a role in understanding the addiction as laid out by the psychologist. When they understand the addiction, they can lead their loved one to recover more quickly.
  • Monetary support – It includes paying the necessary rehab fees and providing the required resources to facilitate the addict’s stay at rehab.
  • Therapeutic support – Seeing a familiar face that is thoughtful, supportive, and encouraging helps to kick-start the treatment process. A good example is when a family member attends support groups with their loved one.

Family Role After Treatment

Sometimes the addicted individual may be willing to undergo treatment and complete an entire rehabilitation program. However, upon returning home or to an environment full of triggers for their addiction, they relapse.

Here is the family’s role in avoiding their loved one relapsing;

  • Emotional support – Family members have a role to be supportive and encouraging to solidify their treatment. They can do this by providing positive reinforcement whenever the addict resists the urge to indulge.
  • Rectifying negative family patterns – It involves changing the negative roles that they played that were a contributing factor to continued addiction.
  • Creating an environment for open communication – Family members have the role of creating a conducive environment in which the addict can share their feelings without judgment.

The Benefit of Family Involvement in Addiction Therapy 

Since the family is the basic unit of society, it’s important to be involved in the treatment process of your loved one.

It helps to build a society with fewer people battling addictions. With fewer addicts, there will be fewer adverse effects on individuals and society.

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