The family members of addicts experience a unique type of pain and suffering. It is never easy to watch someone you love go through something traumatic, and standing by an addicted individual is a brave thing to do. It takes an emotional toll and seeps into every aspect of daily life in most circumstances.
The post below looks at how family members can both get support and provide assistance to their loved ones throughout the recovery journey.
Take It at Face Value
It is difficult to be open to a recovery journey if you have, for example, seen it fail a dozen times before. However, every time an addict engages in rehabilitation, it is a fresh chance to achieve something that hasn’t been done before.
A recovery journey is an intensely personal thing and taking it at face value as a closely involved loved one is the only way to proceed. You never know if this is the time that something resonates and sticks, and it could have a pleasingly positive outcome. Your support matters in this, so try hard to believe.
Protect Your Emotions Too
There are a range of family programs in inpatient addiction treatment that benefit loved ones who are there to support an addicted relative. This is a safe space to receive support for the ways addiction has impacted family life and should be embraced with open arms if you have the opportunity to engage. These programs are great places to look at how you have been impacted and what you need as things move forward.
Dealing with the emotional side of supporting someone through a volatile situation such as this is the best solution for ensuring your mental health does not continue to suffer as well.
Show Up
There are going to be days when you don’t think you can possibly give anymore. Perhaps you are tired and stressed about being let down over and over again, or you just don’t think you will be able to re-engage with another recovery attempt.
However, the simple act of showing up can work wonders and move mountains in terms of how supported an individual feels to move forward in a positive way. If you have the power inside to show up and be present, this will do wonders for their healing and your own sense of self as well.
Retain Positive Connections
It is easy to become isolated when dealing with someone else’s addiction journey, but you must not. This is an extremely vulnerable time for all involved, so it is important to retain social connections and do the things that you love doing. This will fortify your mental resilience, give you an area to vent if necessary, and just bring some enjoyment back to daily life. These are all things that you deserve, especially if it has been a particularly challenging period.
Addiction is a serious thing with major consequences in the lives of those it affects and the people around them. Being a family member looking in from the outside is never easy, but there are things you can do to protect yourself throughout the healing process.
