As you begin your recovery process in a Delaware drug rehab center, you’ll find that family involvement is prohibited. During the first few weeks of treatment, preventing your family from visiting will allow you to get situated to the inpatient experience. You’ll go through your intake process and get to know the other recovering addicts in the facility. Visits from family can be a distraction that will keep you from getting acclimated to your new environment.
After a few weeks, you’ll be able to receive visits from family members on a regular basis. The visits will help you realize that you have the support of your loved ones as you learn how to live a clean and healthier lifestyle. As such, your family members will learn to keep things positive during these visits by focusing on your recovery progress. You’ll avoid discussing the past and your substance abuse prior to entering rehab. Those discussions will be saved for another time.
What Will Family Therapy Do?
Later in your recovery, your family will be asked to participate in therapy sessions. These sessions will be similar to your group counseling meetings except that the sessions will only consist of you and your family members. During each session, your therapist will guide you and your family in attempting to resolve the problems that caused strain in your relationships. While some issues may not be resolved quickly, you can begin working on them in family therapy sessions. During the time you were abusing drugs, you may have done things that strained your relationship with family members. This might include stealing from them to support your habit, lying about your activities, or distancing yourself from your loved ones. These are common behavioral changes that many addicts go through, which is why one step in the recovery process is to apologize to your loved ones. When your family gets involved in your recovery, their presence provides you an opportunity to start this healing process.
Family Therapy Offers a Chance to Air Your Grievances
While your recovery involves recognizing the wrongs you committed and trying to make amends, that’s not to say that your family members are without fault. In fact, relationships with your loved ones may have been triggers for you to use drugs in the past. As much as we love our families, there’s often drama between loved ones that creates anxiety, stress, and feelings of frustration. It’s important to address these issues and air out your feelings before they build up and lead to a relapse.
You may also need to engage in therapy with one specific family member, such as a spouse or parent. If that relationship has been severely damaged by your addiction or by events leading up to your addiction, it will be necessary to confront those problems. Your therapist will help you work through those issues in a private setting where you can both speak more freely and honestly. This will help you both address problems that are preventing you from restoring your relationship.
You’ll Need Family Support After Rehab
Another reason Delaware drug rehab centers involve families in the recovery process is to ensure they understand the recovering addict’s needs. For example, you’ll talk to your family about your needs upon returning home, so they will know what to expect. This can involve making sure there isn’t any alcohol or drugs in the home, so access to substances won’t be the cause of a relapse.
There may be other triggers that you’ll need your family to remove from your home before you return. Asking them to take care of these issues will help you transition to normal society with less anxiety. Your family will also have to be aware of the positive changes you’ve made in your life. This will include attending regular group meetings and continuing to see an addiction counselor. You may also have to see a therapist to address any ongoing emotional health issues. Many recovering addicts adopt entirely new lifestyles, including healthier diets, so be sure your family knows about your dietary changes.
If you picked up a new hobby or started an exercise program, your family members may be interested in joining you. Letting them know about these new aspects of your life will help you bond closer together as a family. When you’re ready to begin a road to addiction recovery, contact us at 302-842-2390. When you call our counselors, we can answer any questions you have about treatment and your ability to get started in a recovery program. We’re available seven days a week, 24 hours a day for your convenience.
