Why You Should Include Your Family in Your Alcohol Rehab Experience

Including the family in addiction treatment can greatly help everyone involved.

Alcoholism takes its toll on the alcoholic and their families. An important element of alcohol rehab is building positive relationships with people who will support you during recovery. The alcoholic is never the only one to suffer from this debilitating disease. All family members, including the children, partners, parents, and other loved ones are impacted. They too, can benefit from the counseling services and therapy options that a good alcohol rehab will provide.

Alcohol’s Effects on the Family

Undue stress on other family members is common when someone is suffering from alcoholism and according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Research has shown that families with an alcoholic member live in environments that are disorganized and unstable.”

These individuals are often stressed from the mood swings, anxiety, depression, and other psychological or physical impairments that the alcoholic is suffering. They may live in fear for their own well being, suffer isolation, and may develop many issues of mistrust, anger, anxiety, or depression, themselves. Often, they too, may turn to substance abuse for relief. It is important to include these individuals to repair those broken ties, prevent them from suffering more, and to engage them in their own recoveries as well as your own.

Co-Dependency

A co-dependent person does not want to risk upsetting the alcoholic in anyway where they may feel they are a contributing factor to the alcoholic drinking more. They may witness the withdrawals and feel helpful by providing more alcohol to the alcoholic. Classical denial runs throughout the family as they suffer financial difficulties, embarrassing episodes, arrests, frequent outbursts, violent behaviors, neglect, and other maladies that this disease can cause.

Your Family in Your Alcohol Rehab Experience

There is no magic cure for alcoholism and recovery takes time, effort, and support from individuals you trust. Professionals can provide tools, resources, and counseling. They can also help you to adapt to positive behaviors while remaining sober, but, unless you have the support of your loved ones, the recovery will continue to be difficult. Your family involvement in your alcohol rehab experience can enhance and speed up your own recovery as well as theirs by:

• Providing education, resources, and referrals to agencies that can counsel and help in regards to the family’s financial hardship, housing, employment, judicial, mental health, or other issues that exist as a result of your drinking.
• Group and family counseling helps everyone involved to gain a better understanding and positive feedback regarding your addiction and habits as well as addressing problems and resolutions that involve them. It can help the other family members build trust, confidence, and peace within themselves, so they no longer need to be co-dependent.
• Better physical and psychological health – As your health gets better, your loved ones will be relieved and able to concentrate on their own health issues.