What does a Family Recovery Program Do?

A family recovery program encourages close members of the patient’s family to get involved in their addiction treatment program. This not helps the patient feel more at ease but also assists family members who might be experiencing any addiction-inflicted trauma caused by their loved one.

Dealing with addiction alone is rarely successful. People who quit addiction ‘cold turkey’ can endanger their lives, especially if hard drugs are involved. A family recovery program is simply one of the ways to help individuals deal with addiction through the support of loved ones, thus drastically increasing the chances of success. The right addiction treatment program in MA will help in the following ways.

Creates a Healthy and Positive Recovery Environment

Family members might not be directly involved in substance abuse, but the actions of their loved ones still affect them negatively. For instance, a spouse might feel neglected or become a victim of domestic abuse, a parent might feel embarrassed, and a child might be unable to process the trauma that could affect them later on. Family recovery seeks to help family members understand what they are going through, express their distress and see how addiction has affected their daily life. Counselors closely work with the addict’s family members and provide them with the right tools to overcome mental distress and improve their relationship. Family members:

• Learn more about addiction and what their loved one is going through
• Process their emotions and talk to their loved ones while expressing  their worries, concerns, or questions
• Accept the need of their loved one for emotional support and professional help
• Take the right steps to identify and change unhealthy habits and behaviors.
• Avoid the use of drugs or alcohol to create a completely safe and supportive environment. 

Enhances Communication 

Proper communication is one of the fundamental elements of effective addiction treatment. Even the most well-rounded treatment methods might fail to work for a patient who is not ready to communicate openly. This is not limited to the patient and their family members, who might not be completely on board with confronting the hard truths to avoid conflicts. Family recovery programs help open communication channels so everyone can easily express their concerns. Improving communication goes a long way in creating a supportive environment that accelerates progress. 

Offers the Right Tools for Improving Relationships 

Addiction can tarnish even the most loving relationships. In some cases, families might even be indirectly encouraging the addict. They might be making the environment harder for the patient, thus pushing them further down the addiction path. Sometimes family members buy drugs or alcohol for the patient just to stay in their good books or avoid ugly confrontations. For instance, they might be providing their loved ones with money, perhaps because they cannot pay rent. Unless the money is being paid to the landlord directly, there is no way to make sure if the money is being used to pay rent or to buy alcohol or drugs. This can create a co-dependent environment between family members, quickly becoming problematic and unhealthy. 

Family recovery therapists provide the right tools and mediums to family members and patients to face the reality of addiction. One of the key aims of family recovery is to restore the structure of a healthy family, and this requires careful techniques spread over a considerable amount of time. The most fundamental tool that is provided is education and several exercises to reinforce the teachings. 

Prevent Family Risks

There is plenty of evidence showing that children who grow up with drug-addict parents are much more likely to pick up the same habits or experience mental health issues in the future. Such families might not tackle the underlying problem just to maintain the current family dynamic, which can worsen the situation. A family recovery program works to recognize any family risk factors and offers comprehensive prevention measures. These measures are specifically tailored to each family and work to uncover any past traumatic experiences that might be causing the addiction. Tackling these family risks is an important step in creating a healthy and happy family that is free of substance abuse. 

When one family member gets addiction treatment, achieves sobriety, and implements positive changes, that does not ensure that the rest of the family members will also let go of past unhealthy habits. This resistance to change can only be properly fought when the entire family becomes involved in the treatment procedure. 

Takeaway 

Family recovery programs in Massachusetts are designed to not only keep family members updated with their loved one’s progress or obstacles but also provide them with a strong support system for their own emotional needs. It is crucial for those who are trying to assist a loved one in recovery to take care of their health and well-being. This could mean joining support groups or availing the services of an addiction treatment center in MA, such as Northstar. The right family recovery program can move friends and family members away from frustration and a dysfunctional family dynamic and encourage everyone involved to work together as a team. It creates transparency, breaks down any communication barriers, and encourages accountability to prevent the addiction from spiraling out of control. Family recovery programs are essentially designed to bring families back together, prevent any sudden relapses, and lay a solid foundation for addiction recovery.