When someone becomes the victim of addiction, it not only impacts the person but the entire family. Modern psychological studies have emphasized on providing help to people struggling with addiction through family therapy. This is because their families have also experienced distress in response to the suffering of their loved ones.
An addiction in the family affects all the dimensions of closed relations. It does not matter whether the addicted individual is a parent, child, spouse, or sibling. Everyone has to bear the brunt of an addiction. As a result, living with an active addicted member becomes a daily challenge at home. Let us understand how:
- Children: As per the data, around one in eight children live with a parent who is an active substance abuser. They grow up in an unpredictable environment, receiving negligible physical and emotional support. The possibility of abuse or violence is much higher in these cases. It affects the social development, self-confidence, and health of the children. As per the studies, almost 41 percent parents with substance abuse problems have reported their kids to have academic and behavioral issues.
- Parents: It is quite challenging for parents to see their child drowning in addiction. They keep questioning themselves and wonder what went wrong. Some parents take an overbearing and enabling role for their children. But it creates an inappropriately dependent relationship when their child grows up.
- Siblings: Siblings are the invisible victims as parents have to look after the child dependent on substances. No one bothers how addiction in the family affects them. As a result, they are sidelined and suffer a variety of emotions like confusion, frustration, shame, and resentment, among others.
Financial Hardships
Once people are addicted to illicit substances, they are ready to give up everything, even if it creates financial restraints. It becomes the responsibility of the family members to take care of the finances of the addicted member. Mostly, it is the parents who handle this part.
The need for family therapy for alcoholism
Recovering from addiction gets a boost when it is backed with the support of family members. They play a crucial role as they are well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the patient. Talking and collaborating with family members helps the medical professionals at alcohol rehabilitation centers to plan and implement an effective treatment for successful recovery.
Family therapy for alcoholism controls addictive behaviors in people by focusing on group dynamics. It involves people with whom they interact with or are involved with on a daily basis. During addiction treatment, fostering healthy and open communication between family members works as an antidote for the patient. At the same time, it ensures children are not suffering negligence when a family member is going through addiction recovery treatment.
Let us dig deeper to understand how family therapy in addiction recovery can be beneficial:
- Offers support to members addicted to illicit substances
- Makes them feel better emotionally
- Enables them to communicate better to generate emotional involvements
- Teaches them to take better care of themselves
- Makes them understand the kind of addiction they are suffering from and how it is affecting their close ones
- Sets boundaries for a healthy recovery
Best rehabilitation centers in India include all therapeutic sessions conducted by psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers with proper licenses.
Help is always available for the families!
Seeing a family member dependent on addictive substances is painful, confusing, and overwhelming for most people. Getting the right treatment can turn a hopeless situation into a positive one by helping patients and the families recover as a team. If you also want to give a new life to your close one, Athena Behavioral Health can help you by providing well-rounded and comprehensive family therapies for alcohol addiction.
Family situations are different for everyone. Therefore, we encourage healthy family interactions within our treatment protocol. We can understand the pain of taking care of someone dependent on alcohol. Call our 24/7 helpline number 9289086193 or chat online with our team to know more about our alcohol treatment programs. We can solve all your queries. Remember, you do not have to do this all alone.
