When someone in the family struggles with substance abuse, it affects everyone. The dynamics change, communication breaks down, and trust is damaged.
It’s easy to feel lost, not knowing how to move forward. However, family members can make a big difference in recovery with the help of functional family therapy.
With time and effort, healing is possible, and you can create a healthier environment at home for everyone. This article explains how functional family therapy can support you or a loved one while recovering from drug abuse.
But first, let’s explore why seeking treatment is so powerful:
Why is Family Support Important During Addiction Recovery?
Families affected by drug and alcohol abuse know that recovery is not always a linear process. During the recovery journey, having a solid support network is crucial. Family support and strong relationship dynamics offer love, empathy, and stability to the individual, providing a sense of security in uncertain times and encouragement while navigating substance use disorder.
Supportive family members can significantly impact a person’s sobriety. Studies indicate that individuals with robust family support are better equipped to stay clean and sober and prevent relapse. Given the significance of family support, the treatment and recovery process is best when it is a collaborative endeavor.
Collaborative family dynamics do best with the help of a family therapist, who is a trained expert in the fields of mental health, substance abuse, and addiction recovery. In fact, evidence-based family therapies are some of the best ways to treat substance use disorders with long-term results.
What is Family Therapy in Addiction Recovery?
Family therapy focuses on addiction recovery by involving the whole family. It requires parents, children, siblings, and spouses to come together in support of the individual.
Unlike other types of mental health services,family therapy focuses on the family system. It seeks to understand how family interactions have shaped the individual (and therefore the substance abuse behavior).
There are several different types of services offered by family therapists:
- Support groups, which are typically designed to openly discuss substance use within an area.
- Behavior health services, which deal with both adult and adolescent substance abuse.
- Brief strategic family therapy, which is a short-term intervention designed for younger family members experiencing substance abuse.
Keep in mind there are other community based services beyond what are listed here. There are many support groups within the Fresno area designed to help struggling families deal with grief and trauma together.
What Do You Talk About During Strategic Family Therapy Sessions?
Family support is critical during the substance abuse recovery process. However, some family members may feel worried or uncomfortable about their interactions with the therapist or the rest of the support group.
Understanding the support groups available to you, as well as the subject matter disclosed, could make it easier to get involved in family programs and openly discuss substance abuse.
There are several things you may discuss with your family therapist, including:
- Risk factors, such as family disease risks, mental health issues, or the family’s history of substance abuse
- The nuances of drug addiction and substance use, including how family interactions affect recovery and relapses
- Family strengths and weaknesses (as well as parenting skills)
- How to improve communication within the family dynamic
Strategic family therapy often benefits the whole family, as it allows every individual to voice grievances and navigate healing. By working with a trained family therapist to better understand substance use disorders, the entire family unit can come together as part of the addiction treatment process.
Ways That Family Involvement Helps Addiction Recovery
The support of close relatives can significantly and positively impact their addicted loved one’s recovery journey, especially if the family is actively engaged in treatment and well-informed about addiction. Family therapy equips them with essential knowledge about addiction treatment and encourages healthy relationship skills and boundary setting.
While it may take time for the family to recover from the damage done by substance use behaviors, trust can gradually be rebuilt with patience and persistence.
Family involvement is vital to the individual’s recovery throughout this healing process because it provides:
A space for honest dialogue
As family members adopt new communication strategies, they begin to experience the benefits of maintaining open lines of communication. Their loved one finds solace in having a supportive setting where they can openly discuss their triumphs and struggles during the treatment and recovery process.
Family programs may also encourage open and transparent discourse about past wrongs. Family conflict or tense family interactions should be carefully addressed to clear up misunderstandings.
An uplifting presence
Family serves as a crucial source of motivation for a loved one in recovery. Through expressions of love and support, family members help the individual maintain a positive outlook and good mental health, even in the face of occasional setbacks.
Navigating one’s own recovery can be difficult, and for families struggling with a history of drug addiction, solution focused brief therapy may be an effective approach. This is especially true of adolescent substance abuse, which requires ongoing support from the entire family system.
A source of accountability
Treatment from active addiction is fraught with challenges, particularly the heightened risk of relapse within the first year post-treatment. The individual in recovery not only holds themselves accountable but also feels a sense of responsibility towards their family, striving to avoid disappointing them.
It’s clear family support is a critical component of lasting remission from substance abuse. Finding the right family therapist and mental health services will be a critical component of positive behavior change.
How Families Can Support a Loved One in Addiction Treatment
Drug abuse can have a major impact on family dynamics, not just affecting the addicted family member, but other family members as well.
However, providing support within the family dynamic can help the affected individual feel more confident in seeking treatment. By freely exploring family problems and dysfunction within the unit, family members can navigate substance abuse patterns and better understand their loved ones’ actions.
Family members can support their loved one recovering from active addiction by doing the following:
Respecting their space
Understand that your loved one needs room to focus on their journey to sobriety. This period entails confronting deep-seated issues underlying their addiction, requiring space for introspection and growth.
Staying positive
Maintain an optimistic outlook while acknowledging that you cannot control the outcome of their recovery. Solution focused therapy should strike a balance between hopefulness and realism, taking each day as it comes. Social support networks and group therapy sessions will be important here, especially as you seek to improve communication skills and navigate family dysfunction with clarity.
Exploring addiction family counseling
Consider group counseling sessions to navigate the complexities of addiction together. Professional guidance can help address difficult emotions and foster healthier communication within the family unit. Extended family members may also want to attend to ensure healthier family dynamics and ensure no conversation goes unaddressed.
Disclose family risk factors
Do you have a history of family disease related to substance use? It may be wise to disclose this to the family member struggling with ongoing addictive patterns.
Listen well
Do your best to listen to the family member in question, even those who are not navigating substance abuse. A listening ear and a friendly demeanor can help struggling family members navigate difficult topics.
Setting healthy boundaries
Be honest about your own needs and limitations, and communicate them clearly. Avoid enabling behaviors and establish boundaries to protect your well-being while still offering support to your loved one.
Remember: substance use disorder can deeply impact relationship dynamics, changing the way your family interacts. It may be wise to seek your own therapy to remain supportive without jeopardizing your mental health.
Prioritizing self-care
Prioritize self-care by nurturing your physical and emotional well-being. Spend time with family and friends, exercise regularly, ensure adequate rest, and maintain a balanced diet. Additionally, consider seeking individual therapy for yourself to address any issues that may have arisen during your loved one’s addiction.
Find the right family therapy program
Not all family therapists offer the same level of care. Discuss options with your family members and encourage a thoughtful choice.
Supporting a loved one in recovery involves respecting their space, encouraging positive behaviors, exploring family therapy, setting healthy boundaries, and prioritizing self-care. By implementing these strategies with skilled family therapists, you can offer meaningful support while also safeguarding your own well-being.
Why Family Behavior Therapy Sometimes Comes with Challenges
Recovery is a challenging journey marked by ups and downs, and setbacks are common despite progress. Drug and alcohol abuse may persist despite efforts to change, leading to frustration and disappointment for families. However, treatment is a comprehensive process aiming for long-term improvement rather than quick fixes. It requires not just the person struggling with substance abuse, but the entire family.
Drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs aim to curb compulsive drug use and seeking behavior. It comes in various forms and durations to suit individual needs. Given addiction’s chronic nature, short-term treatments often fall short, necessitating ongoing interventions and monitoring.
Shared experiences are a powerful tool for bolstering family morale during recovery. Simple activities like dining or cleaning together create positive moments that help counter doubts during low periods. As addicted individuals progress and occasionally face setbacks, these shared experiences provide essential emotional support, strengthening the resolve of the whole family in combating drug addiction.
Family Therapy Programs For Your Drug Abuse Recovery
Drug and alcohol abuse is a complex condition to treat. Mental health services are not enough — it takes brief strategic family therapy, alongside the support of other family members, to make a genuine and long-lasting impact.
If you’re looking for family therapy sessions designed around the recovery process, our Fresno Family Counseling Services may offer the treatment outcomes you need. Our family based treatment is for families dealing with addiction in many capacities, offering free support groups and evidence-based family therapies to better serve your loved ones.
