Should You Involve Your Family While in Rehab?
No matter your addiction type or personal history with substances, addiction is a family disease; the actions of the addicted person always extend to their loved ones, whether they know it or not. Your actions and decisions resulting from your disease can negatively impact your parents, siblings, friends, spouse, or anyone else you care about, resulting in feelings of shame in addition to broken relationships. That’s why when you choose to get help, it can be easy to shut yourself out from your family and loved ones.
However, during such a crucial period, family involvement is essential. Even if you feel like your relationship with them is rocky, it’s important to try to include them in your recovery journey as much as possible, so that you can get as many avenues of support as possible. Research even shows that involving your family while in rehab improves program completion, retention, and recovery outcomes for you.
Since 2016, our certified addiction counselors and therapists have helped thousands of patients repair broken relationships with their loved ones, and they emphasize the value of family support during treatment. Their expertise on how drug addiction affects relationships and families can help you understand getting additional support from your loved ones and how it helps you achieve your goals.
With that, let’s explore how involving your family while in rehab can be incredibly beneficial for you, your loved ones, and your family unit, so you can better achieve long-term recovery.
5 Benefits of Involving Your Family While in Rehab
Often, people prefer to place blame on something or someone for shortcomings or failures in life. With addiction, many people blame it on the addicted person, saying that it’s their responsibility to get help. In fact, almost 80% of people who don’t get addiction help say it’s because they feel like they should handle it on their own.
The reality is that addiction is a brain disease, not a choice, and it can’t be managed on your own; that’s where family comes into play. Involving your family while in rehab is an essential part of your recovery journey, as it offers an additional avenue of support that extends beyond your treatment program. There are many reasons for this, and our experts offer these 5 benefits of including your family in your rehab program:
- Realistic expectations can be formed.
- More open and neutral conversations can be had.
- The stigma of addiction and rehab can be removed.
- Your family can draw closer, not further, from each other.
- Additional support can have a major impact on your recovery success.
The path to recovery is always a long and tiring process, so keep these reasons in mind during your treatment journey.
1. Realistic Expectations Can Be Formed
Disappointment is a common feeling of many people and families during rehab; for instance, you and your family may feel disappointed when a relapse occurs, or they might be disappointed when you exhibit an old, toxic behavior. One of the most common causes of conflict is that close relatives do not understand the actions of the addicted person, making it harder for them to understand when you slip up or encounter challenges while in rehab.
However, relapse and setbacks are a reality of rehab, and including family during the recovery process can set these realistic expectations for both relapse and you as a person battling this disease. With better understanding and education, your family will be better equipped to build a support system with little tension and more realistic expectations.
Additionally, by understanding what triggers addiction and your relapses, your family can be more likely to help you prevent a future episode. Having your family better understand your patterns, triggers, habits, and behaviors caused by addiction provides an essential foundation for them to provide future support.
2. More Open, Honest, & Neutral Conversations Can Be Had
Communication is the foundation of any healthy family, but with addiction, it can be more difficult to be open to each other. For instance, family members may be distrustful of you due to your past behaviors, like lying or stealing from them. But involving your family while in rehab programs demonstrates more transparency in your progress, setbacks, and behaviors.
Something as simple as telling them what you worked on in therapy or how your medication regimen is going can pave the way for more honest conversations. Taking the time to include them in your journey can repair damaged communication caused by the addiction and offer more support for you in the long term.
3. The Stigma of Addiction & Rehab is Reduced
Another major reason people don’t get addiction help is that they’re afraid of what people will think or say. Although we’ve come far in addiction science and support, we know that the stigma still makes it harder for people to be honest with their loved ones about their battle.
That’s why including your family is a part of reducing that stigma. Going back to honesty and transparency, having your family engaged in your rehab program and progress can help them understand that addiction is not a shortcoming on your part. The number one way to reduce any stigma is to talk about it, and including your family while in rehab is a great place to start; express your feelings, keep them in the loop, and try to educate them on your disease.
4. Families Can Draw Closer, Not Further, to One Another
We know that including your family during treatment can feel like a pointless task, but it can make you all closer down the road. The effects of drug addiction on family members aren’t permanent, and overcoming it together can make the relationships stronger in the unit.
With cooperation and teamwork, each and every one in the household will ultimately understand their role and place in the family system. Your family will face challenges, just like you, during recovery, but communicating together, celebrating progress, and pushing through setbacks will foster the sense of unity and connection that was missing. Ultimately, you’ll notice improvements and repairs in your relationships down the road.
5. You’re More Likely to Succeed in Recovery
Doing anything on your own can be much more challenging, and isolating yourself during rehab only makes things more difficult. No matter what rehab program you’re in, data shows that involving family while in rehab can improve treatment completion and outcomes. This is because the additional support and love from those we care for can give us a purpose, reminding us of the “why” behind achieving our goals. One of the worst things you can do is isolate yourself from those you care about, so be mindful of the benefits family can have.
It’s important to remember, too, that success isn’t just measured by how long you’ve been sober, but also by the relationships you’ve repaired and the lifestyle changes you’ve made. Keep this in mind as you work through integrating your family into your addiction recovery.
Consider Involving Your Family for More Support & Better Outcomes
At the end of the day, your loved ones—family, friends, and chosen family—want what’s best for you and want to see you succeed. That’s why involving family while in rehab is a proven method of achieving recovery, and it can make a major difference in your sobriety journey. You’ll find yourself being a stronger person and bettering your relationship down the road as you learn to face these challenges together, not alone.
Remember, too, that this doesn’t exactly mean forcing everyone into family therapy (although it’s definitely helpful). Something as simple as texting them updates or having them visit you in rehab can go a long way. Including them in the big and little moments of your recovery can make a huge difference in your treatment program.
Master Center offers a Family & Friends Program for your loved ones to learn more about addiction, recovery, and rehab with online resources and group classes. It’s a great place for your family to start as you include them in your journey.
So, when you’re ready to get started or want to explore more about family resources at Master Center, request a call today and embark on the road to recovery.
About Master Center
Master Center is a groundbreaking addiction treatment program headquartered in Glen Allen, Va. Based on a vision of comprehensive outpatient care, Master Center was launched in 2016 and now includes locations throughout the Commonwealth.
Master Center offers a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach rarely seen in the outpatient setting, staffed by experienced addiction physicians, psychiatrists, counselors, therapists, and peer recovery coaches.
