Recovery is a new beginning.
By abstaining from alcohol and drugs, people in recovery can regain their physical health and emotional well-being.
Over time, your loved one will return to being a happier person, a dedicated student or employee, and a more loving family member.
I'd be interested in hearing how your meetings are going.
Are the coordinators helpful?
Are you finding that recovery is a struggle for you?
Do you like the other participants?
People in recovery and their families are often terrified of relapse. Understanding the following 6 points may help.
1. Relapse is common. Although relapses are not inevitable, they are common. Many people have one or more relapses before achieving long-lasting sobriety or abstinence. This does not mean the end of efforts toward abstinence and recovery. The person needs to get back into treatment and the family needs to continue attending a support group, professional counseling, or both.
2. Work together to prevent relapse. People in recovery may have frequent urges to drink or use drugs, and feel guilty about it, even though these urges are a normal part of recovery. It’s important to work together to anticipate high-risk situations (such as a party where alcohol will be served) and plan ways to prevent them.
3. Relapse can happen during good times, too. Sometimes relapse occurs when the person is doing well with their recovery. He or she feels healthy, confident, and/or "cured" and believes that he or she is ready to go back to casual, regular or "controlled" use of drugs or alcohol. The person may remember the honeymoon period of their use (even though it may have been long ago) — where his or her use didn't cause problems — and may want to return to that place. But this is often impossible since addiction changes the physical makeup of the brain and the person is recovery is no longer able to use drugs or alcohol in a controlled fashion.
4. If relapse occurs. Medical professionals, particularly those who specialize in substance use disorders, are an extremely important asset during a time of relapse. They can help the person learn techniques for containing feelings, focusing on the present, and making use of support from others. Relying on group support from Twelve Step programs, engaging in prayer or meditation, and finding other ways to stay on an even keel can also be extremely helpful.
5. Learn from relapse. Experts have found that a relapse can serve as an important opportunity for the recovering person and other family members to identify what triggered the relapse in the first place — and find ways to avoid it in the future.
Are There Typical Problems that Families Face?
Every family is different, of course, but here are some common feelings you may be having when your loved one begins his or her recovery:
You may feel tense, like you're waiting for the person to relapse
You might not trust the person
You may feel guilty about not trusting the person
You might feel awkward and self-conscious with each other, not knowing the "rules for living in recovery"
A set of unspoken rules may spring up: Don't say or do anything upsetting; don't talk about problems; don't let feelings out in the open because they lead to conflict; recovery is more important than all other family needs
You may resent the person for attending lots of support meetings and not being around to help with household chores or other family matters
These are normal feelings. But know that your family can be healthy again
85 million people in the U.S. have been affected by addiction — those with the disease of addiction as well as their family, friends and loved ones. Imagine if everyone came forward to share a story of recovery or message of support. Together, we can dispel the stigma. We can give hope to the hopeless. Share your story and you can change someone else’s.
Visit The Hope Share >
Long-term recovery is an ongoing process, and often it is helpful to learn from the experiences of other families. Teens and young adults in long-term recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs may face challenges that parents can help with. Here are a few online resources from Faces and Voices of Recovery, offering hope to people who are still struggling, their families and communities.
Having a child with an alcohol or drug problem can be very difficult for families. Our Time To Get Help online community is a safe, non-judgmental place to share what you and your family are experiencing. We are parents like you and we understand what you are going through.
Visit TimeToGetHelp >
