Can You Lose Custody of Your Children if You Go to Rehab in PA?

Your children are the most important thing in your life, and the thought of losing custody of them fills you with fear. Although you may try to do everything right as a parent, you still place your family at risk every time you do drugs or drink excessively. If you are doing illegal drugs, then you risk jail time if the authorities find out that you have them in your possession. Even if you are using legal substances, you could still get in trouble if an officer of the law suspects that you are driving under the influence or incapable of properly supervising your children. There may also be people in your life who will try to use your addiction against you such as the other parent. All of these things can cause you to question whether or not you can lose custody of your children if you go to rehab in PA.

The good news is that going to rehab should not cause you to lose your kids. Instead, local child protective agencies and other people in your community will view your decision as a sign that you are ready to change your life for the better. Once you decide to go to rehab, you will find that you have more support than you ever dreamed was possible. The decision to get sober is one that not only improves your health, but the therapy programs that you participate in for your treatment can help you be a better parent overall.

Get Sober to Improve Your Parenting Skills

You first need to know that going into rehab usually means that you will spend a few days fighting hard to stay sober. During this time, your main focus will be on managing the withdrawal symptoms with the help and support of your treatment team. It is during this time when you are encouraged to focus on yourself in ways that you might not have been able to when you were home with your kids. In the past, you might have tried to get sober but fell back on your old habits when your withdrawal symptoms made it hard to do your parenting duties.

Once you get past this phase, you can start focusing on how to strengthen your ability to be a good parent. You’ll participate in individual counseling sessions where you can talk about issues that affect your ability to be a strong parent such as the following.

  • your past childhood trauma
  • your relationship with the other parent
  • your coexisting mental health conditions such as depression
  • your current methods for handling stress

Stop Worrying About Losing Custody of Your Children

Parents sometimes come to rehab already on the verge of losing custody of their children. This often happens during custody disputes or child safety investigations when the person’s drug or alcohol addiction is brought under closer inspection. If you are currently living under someone else’s supervision and fear that they’ll decide against you, then going to rehab helps you prove that you are serious about getting sober.

You also need to know that no one has to know that you went to rehab unless you tell them. Your drug and alcohol treatment program must keep the details of your stay confidential. Although you can choose to have the rehab document that you are getting sober for things such as court-mandated treatment, no one ever finds out what you talk about inside the facility. Feeling safe enough to open up to your counselors is an essential part of your recovery, and it will be respected.

Make a Plan to Show Your Children the Benefits of Being Willing to Change

Your children watch everything that you do. While they may be too young to know anything about addiction, then will pick up on the positive changes that happen during your recovery. Older kids will also learn from your decision to be courageous and face your problems head-on.

Being a parent means that you may need to make plans for your rehab stay such as deciding who can help watch your children while you attend the program. Start today by talking to people who are familiar with rehab and can help you figure out the best ways to keep things going well at home so that you can focus on your recovery.

It takes strength and courage to ask for help when you know that everything you care about is on the line. Are you ready to be the parent that you know your kids need? We’re here to help. You can call us today at 302-842-2390.

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Essentials mission is to renew lives impacted by addiction through personalized and complete behavioral healthcare. Our main purpose is to provide services and education to the client and family that will support long lasting recovery of mind, body, and spirit.