Addiction Affects Entire Families
Anyone with a loved one who struggles with drug or alcohol addiction understands why addiction is often referred to as a family disease. Addiction destroys trust and damages relationships. It puts emotional stress on family members, often leaving them feeling confused, frustrated, and helpless.
Addressing existing problems within the family is crucial to an individual’s successful recovery. Family therapy helps repair damaged relationships and bring the family back together.
What Is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy or counseling that helps family members improve communication, resolve conflicts, and deepen connections. It may include some or all members of a nuclear family or stepfamily. In certain cases, some members of an extended family, such as grandparents, may participate. Sometimes it may include only those family members who are willing or able to attend therapy sessions. In family therapy related to addiction, the therapist conducts sessions to help everyone understand addiction and how it has affected the family.
What Are the Benefits?
There are many ways family therapy can benefit people in addiction recovery and their families.
- Everyone gains a better understanding of addiction through family therapy. They learn addiction is a chronic disease that changes the brain, how their loved one’s behavior was affected, and the effects addiction has had on the family.
- Family members also gain an understanding of addiction treatments and how they work. They learn how to keep their loved ones motivated and engaged during treatment and what to expect from them once treatment has been completed.
- Family members have the opportunity to talk about their concerns and feelings regarding their loved one’s addiction. They can ask the therapist questions about the addiction, knowing they will receive a truthful answer.
- The therapist helps families understand enabling behaviors and how to avoid them. Family members learn about boundaries that are needed to support their loved one’s sobriety and deter substance abuse.
- During family therapy sessions, any codependent behaviors that may be preventing or endangering recovery are addressed, and supportive behaviors are explained.
- Each family member has the opportunity for insight and self-assessment from the therapist during therapy sessions. The knowledge family members gain helps improve their well-being. If any family member is struggling with any mental health issue, such as anxiety or depression, the therapist has the opportunity to address the issue. Any mental health issue of a family member can harm family communication and trigger, or contribute to, a relapse.
- Family therapy helps repair damaged family relationships. It can improve understanding and communication among all family members.
- Taking part in family therapy sessions promotes a stronger support system for the person in recovery. They learn how to use their family members’ strengths and resources as a means of support. Family members learn how to be part of their loved one’s long-term recovery. They learn about relapse, relapse triggers, and ways to support their loved ones by being part of relapse prevention plans.
- It helps ease feelings of anger, fear, frustration, confusion, and stress related to the addiction.
- It helps family members resolve conflicts while working on regaining trust, acceptance, and forgiveness. Family members may not be willing to help a loved one who has betrayed their trust. Honest interaction, improved communication, and seeing positive changes in their loved ones can help rebuild their trust.
Help Is Available
Anyone can be affected by addiction. If you or a loved one is struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction, help is available. At Canyon Vista Recovery Center, located in Mesa, Arizona, our caring professionals will use a combination of psychiatric, clinical, medical, and holistic approaches to repair the damage caused by addiction. Our comprehensive program includes advanced therapy, 12-Step recovery, life skills, nutritional therapy, and family healing. Now is the time to take the first step. Call today and learn how to begin your journey on the path to recovery.
Are you or a loved one looking for an alcohol rehab near Mesa? Learn more about programs offered at Canyon Vista Recovery Center. Contact us at (888) 979-1840
