Having a child who has an addiction to drugs or alcohol can be difficult for any parent. Fortunately, the right therapies can help your child recover. Addiction is progressive, so it’s much easier for young adults to regain control at an early age. In particular, family therapy can play a major role.
Addiction is a family disease, so family programs are crucial. Not only will young adults get the treatment they need to get their lives back, but as parents, you can heal as well. You’ll learn the best ways to support your child’s recovery while also learning how to recover yourself. To begin with, it’s important to understand that there are reasons behind your child’s struggles.
Understanding Addiction in Family Therapy
During family therapy, therapists and counselors provide addiction education to help everyone understand the disease. For instance, there may be unwarranted guilt or shame behind a child’s addiction. Through understanding the risk factors of addiction, you’ll begin to see that addiction doesn’t make you a bad parent. While upbringing can play a role in addiction, sometimes the outcome is unavoidable.
Leading risk factors for young adult substance abuse and addiction include:
- Genetics
- Undiagnosed symptoms of mental illness
- High amounts of stress
- Overall poor coping skills
- Verbal or physical abuse growing up
- Traumatization
Through treatment, licensed addiction professionals help young adults learn the source of their addiction, and it will help you, too.
Learning to Love Oneself in Family Therapy
Regardless of how your child acts toward you or other family members, he or she most likely has many regrets. When it comes to addiction, drug cravings and side effects change a person’s behaviors greatly. One of the key parts of the recovery process is helping young adults learn how to forgive themselves. People in active addiction may lie, cheat, steal or become verbally or physically abusive. Although it’s destructive behaviors, it’s also part of the illness.
In treatment, professionals will also start teaching your child about being responsible for his or her actions. Recovery is about learning how to move forward in life and not dwelling on the past, which is why making family amends is important. There’s also something called a “living amends”, which is working diligently on changing one’s behaviors. A major part of recovery is learning how to become a better person one day at a time.
Supporting Your Child’s Recovery in Family Therapy
One of the best ways to support young adults in recovery is to show them that you care. Some people think that addiction is the person’s problem, so the one with the addiction should have to deal with it alone. While your child’s recovery is ultimately his or her responsibility, support gives your child a much better chance of succeeding. Those with an addiction can feel isolated and alone, so your support can be very beneficial.
Part of the family program is also going to be about teaching you how to maintain healthy boundaries with your child. There’s a fine line between being supportive and enabling someone’s behavior, and it’s crucial to know the difference. One of the reasons some young people don’t succeed in recovery is because parents don’t have boundaries. You’ll be helping your child more than you know by setting healthy but firm boundaries.
Located in Havre de Grace, Maryland, Ashley Addiction Treatment is here to help your child recover from drug or alcohol addiction in the best way possible. We offer family therapy as part of our young adult program for 18–25 year olds. We also offer a male-only, young adult extended care program specifically designed to help young men recover.
Take the first step to reestablishing your family. Call Ashley Addiction Treatment today at 866-313-6307.