When a loved one is struggling with an alcohol problem, his or her family members often deal with the brunt of their disorder. They are the first ones to see his or her extreme mood swings, experience his or her dishonesty and witness his or her eventual fall from grace. Families can play a pivotal role in a loved one’s alcohol abuse, as many members might enable the use through providing money or shelter, while others might help their loved one hit a rock bottom by setting positive boundaries. Either way, there is no doubt that the families of alcoholics go through the ringer from the very start to the end of their loved one’s alcoholism.
What Help is Available for Families at Drug Treatment Centers?
Even though many families might think that drug treatment centers are only for their addicted loved ones, there are options for care for them as well. At drug treatment centers across the country, there are a plethora of different forms of help available to families of alcoholics that will not only help them overcome the resentments they might have developed during the time of active use, but also help encourage them to build a more positive future going forward. Some of the many options that families have for care at drug treatment centers can include the following:
• Family/individual therapy – Therapy is key in all drug treatment centers, as it helps bring about change in most individuals. Recognizing that families need both individual and family therapy, most drug treatment centers offer these services. This can require families to come to the drug treatment center to work with their recovering loved one in family sessions, as well as participate in individual sessions where they can each work out their own personal issues surrounding their loved one’s alcoholism.
• Staff support – One of the most crucial things that families of alcoholics need is a great support system. While their loved one is working to recover from their alcoholism, the staff members of their drug treatment center can provide support for the family that includes continual updates on their loved ones, opportunities to visit with him or her, offer participation in counseling and keep them connected to education about alcoholism in ways that allow them to in turn support their addicted loved one when he or she leave the drug treatment center.
• Al-Anon – Alcoholics Anonymous (or Al-Anon) is most commonly recognized as being a resource for recovering alcoholics, however this option for care is also beneficial for families. Through Al-Anon’s family groups, families of alcoholics can gain support from other families in their situation, learn how to support their loved one’s sobriety, and develop skills that keep them from enabling negative behaviors in both themselves and their loved one.
It is crucial that family members of alcoholics get the treatment they need in order to support one another and their recovering loved one. At drug treatment centers across the country, these options are readily available and have been proven to help improve the camaraderie between families and former alcoholics.
