You watched your loved one fall deep into substance abuse and felt helpless to do anything.
That cheerful child that you love started using heroin and disappeared into a cantankerous stranger who wouldn’t give you the time of day. Luckily, they got professional help at a heroin treatment center, but what about you? Although there are over 19 million people with a substance use disorder in the United States, addiction effects more than the just the addict.1 Their bad habits create strains in your relationship and damage that may seem irreversible.
Addiction Family Therapy Benefits
Luckily at Banyan Chicago, there is hope. Our family and couple’s therapy for addiction can help you through this process as well. Because addiction effects the addict’s family members, there are many benefits of therapy for family members of addicts.
Another one of the addiction family therapy benefits is that it gives you time to speak. Did your son stop talking to you and seeing you? Did your wife shut you out? Because they are feeling ashamed or trying to hide their addiction, addicts will often push away their loved ones. With group therapy, it is now your time to talk and your loved one’s time to listen. Because they should be working toward recovery at this point, they are likely to be more receptive to what you have to say.
One of the greatest benefits of therapy for family members of addicts is education. You may not understand how your child became addicted to cocaine or why your husband turned to alcohol. If you have never suffered from addiction yourself, it is easy to think that this could have easily been prevented and perhaps the addict is weak, but this is not the case. Addiction is a disease, and our drug rehab in Chicago can teach about both the psychological and physical hold that these drugs can have over a person. With a family or couple’s therapy, you will be able to see addiction through the addict’s eyes.
Finally, of all the benefits of therapy for family members of addicts, mending your strained relationships is the most important. You may be angry at your loved one or feel guilty for not doing more. Therapy creates a safe environment for both parties to speak candidly and comfortably. While your relationship can probably get back to normal in just one day, it will give you the tools you need to move forward together and continue to make your relationship stronger in the future.
Is your loved one still struggling with addiction? Do not sit back; there is something you can do. Reach out to us at 888-280-4763 to find out more about our substance abuse treatment programs in Chicago and to learn what you can do to get your loved one the help they need.
Sources:
- Substances Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
