When someone develops an addiction, it affects everyone around them, especially their family. Family support is essential to addiction recovery, but it can be challenging to rebuild shattered trust. Evoke Wellness at San Marcos offers family counseling programs to make this easier. Family counseling can help family members understand the root causes of addiction and how to support their loved one’s recovery journey. Contact Evoke Wellness at San Marcos by calling us at 888.450.2285 to learn more about family counseling.
Why Family Support Is Crucial During Addiction Recovery
It’s important to understand that family members develop dysfunctional roles when a loved one has an active addiction. Family members can become:
- The savior
- The mascot
- The scapegoat
- The lost child
- The enabler
No matter what your role is, your behavior tends to revolve around the person with the addiction, but your behavior doesn’t offer the support and boundaries your loved one needs.
Family support is an essential piece of the puzzle. People with substance use disorders who have supportive family members are more likely to turn to professionals for help and to adhere to treatment once they’ve begun their recovery journey.
Addiction is an isolating experience. The person dealing with a substance use disorder tends to be so focused on getting the substance they’re addicted to or recovering from its use that the rest of their lives take a backseat. That includes interacting with friends and family.
Even recovering from a substance use disorder can be isolating because it involves spending hours in therapy sessions and working through the underlying cause of the addiction. Having loved ones offering their support allows those struggling to see that they’re not alone. This can motivate them to continue treatment.
Family Support Can Help with Relapse Prevention
Family support also helps with relapse prevention. Those closest to the person with the addiction can help with triggers and encourage them to go to AA or NA meetings. They can also be the first to notice signs of a relapse and to intervene in a crisis situation.
Involving yourself in the process doesn’t just offer help for the person with the addiction. It helps you, too. Living or otherwise interacting with someone with an active addiction causes a breakdown in communication and erodes the relationship. You likely have unhealthy coping mechanisms, as well. By getting involved in the recovery process, you can participate in family therapy sessions that help to address all of these concerns.
How to Help a Loved One with Addiction Issues
If you want to understand how to help a loved one with addiction issues, the best thing to do is to participate in the recovery process. If the treatment program your loved one is part of offers family therapy sessions, let them know you’re open to them.
Family therapy helps those affected by addiction relearn how to communicate and how to engage in healthier coping mechanisms. Family therapy also helps you meet others who are going through similar situations, making you feel less isolated, too.
One of the most important things you can do to help a loved one with an addiction is to avoid enabling their behavior. Enabling refers to actions that allow destructive behaviors to continue. Any action you take that helps your loved one avoid the consequences of their actions is enabling.
During family therapy sessions, you can learn how to avoid enabling behavior so that you can encourage your loved one to make better choices instead of relying on you to bail them out.
Call Evoke Wellness at San Marcos for Guidance on How to Help a Loved One with Addiction
If you have a loved one with addiction, one of the best things you can do for yourself and them is to offer healthy support. Participating in family therapy and getting involved in the treatment process is possible. Family therapy is an integral part of the programs we offer at Evoke Wellness at San Marcos. We understand the importance of family support in addiction recovery and are here to guide you through this process. Call us at 888.450.2285 or contact us online to learn how you can start a family therapy program at Evoke Wellness at San Marcos.
