The Family in Recovery

In a perfect world, the family member would give up alcohol and drugs and everyone would live happily ever after. Unfortunately, is it rarely as simple as that due to the fact that recovery is a process rather than a single event. Be getting sober, your loved one will have taken a crucial first step, but there is going to be lots of more work ahead to secure sobriety.

A newly sober family member can have a serious impact on the dynamics of this unit. The other members of the family will have needed to adapt to living with an addict, and they will have developed certain routines – now everything is changed, and it can lead to uncertainty and possibly even resentment. There may also still be a lot of fresh wounds due to behavior of the person who has just recently become sober. It can take a few weeks for things to settle back down, but once they do, things should be much better than before.

Here are a few suggestions for how to encourage a loved one to remain sober:

• encourage them to follow treatment recommendations, but try not to nag them about it
• don’t minimize the need for treatment or say things that are too cynical about recovery
• learn more about addiction and recovery
• encourage abstinence from all mind-altering substances
• encourage them to develop better coping strategies for dealing with life
• try to encourage good communication within the family
• celebrate sobriety milestones without your loved one (e.g. sober for six months)

What Next?

Giving up alcohol or drugs can be tough unless you or your loved one has access to the right resources and support. Here at Hope Rehab Center we provide a therapeutic environment along with the most effective treatments for all types of addiction. When you arrive here, we carefully assess your needs, and create an individualized care pathway.

You will probably be leaving your family behind to come and stay with us here in Thailand, but this doesn’t mean they won’t be involved in the process. We understand your family is going to be a crucial aspect of your support when you return home, so we work with them to increase their understanding of your needs and condition. One of the other things we do is send your family members a feedback questionnaire, so we can then find out more about how your behavior has been affecting them.