Family Therapy and Addiction Recovery Education

Drug abuse and alcohol addiction affect the family on many levels. Addictive behaviors can run through generations and, left untreated, leave family members at risk for years. Family can also bring about environmental factors in the development of these behavioral health conditions, without even knowing. Unhealthy communication and coping mechanisms can be one of the reasons why addiction starts, remains and decays the family dynamic. Bridging the gap, opening communication levels and fixing family strain are the main components of family therapy.

How is the Family Affected by Addiction?

Addiction is a family disease — there is no denying that. The family unit is one that can either run effectively or ineffectively (or sometimes in between). Every person’s actions impact the other, which is why when a family member is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all other family members feel the effects. Some of the most common ways that the family becomes impacted by addiction include the following:

Codependency — It is easy to fall into a pattern of codependency when a family member has an addiction. In fact, it is so easy that many people do not realize that their behaviors are consistent with codependency. This causes both the user and the codependent family member to feed off each others’ toxic behaviors out of fear of losing or making the other one upset.
Heightened anxiety — All family members can experience a sense of heightened anxiety when someone in their family unit is an addict or alcoholic. Anxiety can cause several sleepless nights, poor diet, irritability, and irrational thinking.
Rebellion — Some members of the family, often siblings of the addict or alcoholic, may rebel in some ways in an effort to attract attention. Acting out in common in a situation like this, as is behaving similarly to a class clown. These behaviors are often a thinly-veiled attempt at expressing their pain and upset with their loved one’s addiction.
Introvertedness — Turning inwards, not speaking much, or avoiding socializing are all common in some family members where addiction is present. Unfortunately, this is a very lonely and isolated coping mechanism and those who adopt it are at higher risk for abusing drugs or alcohol themselves in the future.
Breakdown of communication — The entire family can struggle to communicate effectively with one another, especially if you have some family members with heightened anxiety, others who are rebelling, and some that are turning inwards on themselves. When communication is ineffective, functioning in a regular day can feel extremely challenging, if not impossible.

Since the entire family unit is impacted by addiction, it is absolutely imperative that all family members seek professional treatment to help rebuild a stronger foundation for themselves to thrive on.

Why Family Therapy Healing Supports Addiction Recovery

Here at Continuum Recovery Center of Colorado, we offer a once per week family education experience. Family members can attend in person or via teleconference. This nontherapeutic educational presentation is only for family members of loved ones in treatment as the clients do no participate in this setting.

What Family Therapy and Education Provides

A Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor Educates Family members on:

The Addiction Disease Model
The Purpose of Treatment
How Treatment Works as a Support Mechanism for You or Your Loved One
What Enabling Looks Like
Where to go for Additional Resources in Family Support

The Benefits of Family Therapy and Education Are Immeasurable

When we suggest our program to mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, and adult children of clients who are here undergoing treatment for substance use disorders, we do this for the benefit of each family member. We know that a strong and stable family, unified, offers a more supportive force than each person individually. Some of the greatest benefits of family therapy include the following:

Stronger understanding of addiction as a disease
Improve communication across the board
Help identify and address resentments and ongoing points of contention
Development of unified problem-solving skills
Ability to help set healthy boundaries
Resolve continued conflicts

If you and your family have a loved one who is an addict or alcoholic, attending family therapy can be just the thing you need to get back on track.

What to Expect in Our Family Program

At our outpatient drug rehab in Colorado, no family education sessions will be the same, as different points of contention and interest will give rise to areas that need to be addressed. Some moments will be anticipated and others can come from left field.

A Licensed Counselor will Guide You Through the Process, Where You’ll Learn How To: