How To Support A Loved One In Treatment

June 25th, 2019

If you are reading this,
chances are that your loved one is either in treatment now or is about to be.
The important thing to remember is that your loved one is getting the help they
need, and now you want to look at where you fit into that journey. Whether you
are a family member or friend, you have your own set of challenges that you
must overcome. Addiction affects the whole family, not just the person who is
addicted. Therefore, it is important that each person see how they have been
affected by all that has happened, and then start to look at how they can start
to heal from it as individuals and as a family.

When a loved one suffers from
addiction, it is common to experience a roller coaster of emotions and maybe
even struggle with feeling guilt. Many loved ones of addicts suffer with the
feeling that they are partially to blame for the addiction, but there is no
point in wasting time on self-blame or even the blaming of others. There are so
many factors at play when it comes to an individuals’ addiction that there is
never a simple answer to the question “why?”.

It is easy to get upset or
even angry with your loved one. While this is understandable given all the
fallout that happens around addiction, it does not help anyone involved. This
does not mean you have to pretend they did nothing wrong, only that there will
be a time a place to address these hurts in a constructive manner. It can be
helpful to get the facts about addiction, including understanding that
addiction is a disease that affects the health of the body and the mind. This
can help to explain their actions and move you toward forgiveness in order for
the both of you to heal.

Here are some tips and
ways that you can support your loved one in treatment.

Participate on Family Days 

Participating in the family
days and family counseling offered by your loved one’s treatment center can be
pivotal in being a part of the healing for both you and your loved one. By
simply being there, you’re showing your loved one that you are there to support
them and you are willing to be a part of their new life.

Each weekend, Windmill Wellness Ranch holds family workshops for
the loved ones of those going through treatment with us. This allows our
clients and their families to work through how addiction has affected them
together as a unit and allows them work together on the road to recovery.
The workshop happens each week for our current and alumni clients and
their families in a hybrid (in-person and online) format. Once you are part of
the Windmill family, you are free to come back anytime to get family workshop
support for yourself and your loved ones.

Find Resources and
Support 

As we mentioned before,
addiction affects the whole family, not just the person who is addicted.
Therefore, the addicted individual is not the only one who can benefit from
having a support network. Families and loved ones of addicts may mind if
helpful to connect with others who have gone through a similar
experience.

Family recovery fellowships
are a prime way to find others who have gone through similar experiences and
learned how to navigate them. These groups are free, and they are run by and
for family members of those with addiction and other mental health issues. They
all have websites, most have online and phone meetings, many publish books and
pamphlets, and many have in-person meetings available, depending on where you
live.

Here is a list to explore so
that you don’t have to do this alone:

Recovery fellowships for family members:

• Al-Anon
• SMART Recovery Family & Friends
• Celebrate Recovery
• Families Anonymous
• Codependents Anonymous (CoDA)
• Nar-Anon
• Adult Children of Alcoholics
• NAMI
  (National Alliance on Mental Illness)

Windmill Wellness Ranch holds a SMART Recovery Family &
Friends meeting each week for our current and alumni clients and their
families, in a hybrid (in-person and online) format.

Focus On Yourself 

We have seen over and over
that the most helpful thing you can do for your loved one is to work on your
own recovery.

To some, this may sound
selfish, but you cannot stay strong for others unless you are truly taking care
of yourself first. Once your loved one has entered treatment, you must focus on
rebuilding your own life. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, taking care of
yourself with proper diet and exercise, getting support, and socializing with
close friends.

Let your loved one focus on
their healing while you focus on yours.

One of the first and biggest
steps to helping a loved one is offering up your support for their decision to
get treatment. From there, offering strength and compassion on the long journey
ahead can make all the difference in their recovery and yours.

Have a loved one in need of
treatment? Contact us
today and our admissions team would be more than happy to help get your loved
one of the path to recovery today.