Support for parents of addicts is an essential and often overlooked part of the treatment process. Addiction affects everyone, not just the individual. Families can struggle with broken trust, emotional abuse, and more. Rebuilding relationships, trust, and even communication is best facilitated by things like family resources.
Importance of Support for Parents of Addicts
The right type of support for parents of addicts can be helpful in numerous ways.
Improving Relationships
The right type of support can help improve the relationships and dynamics within a family. This can be through:
- Conflict resolution
- Improved communication
- Better relationship function
With the right resources, your family can work together to improve family cohesion.
Supporting Recovery
The right type of support for parents of addicts can encourage their children to remain sober. Studies indicate that people who have support from families are more likely to:
- Complete a treatment program in a recovery center and
- Avoid relapse after leaving that recovery center
This indicates that individuals are less likely to return to substance abuse when their families know how to support things like their coping skills or provide proper communication.
Moreover, when families participate in the right type of support, parents of addicts can learn to recognize warning signs of relapse and, from there, encourage appropriate action.
Addressing Problems
Working with the right family therapy online can provide families with techniques that can be used to address problems.
Many people hear the phrase “coping skills” as it applies to someone in recovery, but family members need coping skills, too. Family members might, for example, need to know how to use breathwork to calm themselves down when someone with addiction is going through withdrawal and related mood swings or how to use CBT decision trees to decide whether there is anything they can do to help someone with addiction.
These types of skills enable family members to reduce additional problems like externalizing conditions or enabling behaviors.
Taking Responsibility
The right type of support structure can help families to build on their strengths and take responsibility for self-care. Self care is another phrase that is often associated with those in recovery, something that people in recovery have to focus on. However, it extends to family members as well who might need to prioritize their own well-being in certain circumstances.
Support for parents of addicts, in particular, can provide useful insight and regular support through things like virtual coaching services where parents can talk through certain issues and figure out when and how to prioritize their own well-being in order to best help their child.
Types of Support for Parents
There are several types of support for parents of addicts, including:
- NA family meetings
- AA family meetings
- SMART family meetings
- Online Coaching
- Virtual family support meetings
SMART Recovery has a specific Family & Friends program where you can meet on a regular basis to understand addiction, find community support, and learn how to rebuild a life impacted by addiction.
Similar opportunities are made available through AA and NA, where you can search in your area for meetings that are only for friends and family of someone with addiction. Here, you can discuss your struggles or learn from others. Many meetings are led by someone else who has a child or other family member with addiction.
For those who need support from qualified professionals, there are options that include online support, therapy, and virtual coaching. These types of support systems can be combined with NA, AA, or SMART recovery meetings and offer a more personalized avenue where a professional check in with you on a regular basis, provides a place to discuss things that are going on and find solutions to problems.
Support for Parents of Addicts with Aligned Living
At Aligned Living, we offer support for families that includes access to our success handbooks, family engagement via virtual services, transport reporting on how a child is doing, and customized care that fits your family goals.
We work hard to provide detailed guides that enable you to access resources you might need to support your child, with virtual coaching opportunities for parents who might want to ask questions or express concerns. Moreover, we aim to offer customized support via things like weekly sessions, multiple support sessions, and other flexible, virtual services. These opportunities allow parents to navigate the complexities of addiction.
Overall, support for parents of addicts can help parents to rebuild relationships, establish stronger family bonds, and improve communication. With regularly scheduled virtual coaching or similar services, families can develop a better idea of how to address problems and take responsibility for their own well-being.
Call us now at (866) 768-1429 to get started.