Family is one of the most important components of the drug addiction recovery process. Family provides the necessary emotional support and encouragement because they are typically the first to notice problematic behaviors in their loved ones. Because of the family’s ability to help establish a supportive environment that encourages sobriety, we created a Family Program at Southeast Addiction Center in Nashville, TN, to meet this need.
Not only is the supportive environment necessary in the home, but families can assist their loved ones in selecting the appropriate treatment program with the assistance of our dedicated therapists to begin treatment or continue treatment. Therefore, family plays a vital role in recovery, holding loved ones accountable, offering guidance and motivation, and making a difference in achieving long-term recovery.
What is a Family Program?
At Southeast Addiction Center, our effective family program allows members of the clients we are treating to invite family in for therapy as a component of their treatment plan. We ask our clients to choose which loved ones they wish to participate with while one of our licensed therapists mediates each session.
Clients and families often ask how long they can participate in the family program. It’s simple: as long as it takes. Recovery is different for each client and equally diverse for each family. Therefore, we customize each program to meet the family unit’s needs, contributing to long-term recovery.
We have three approaches we take to facilitating our family program. First, we understand the family history, followed by self-admission, and we practice mirroring.
Family History
At Southeast Addiction Center, our research-based approaches have proven that understanding family history is essential in addiction recovery because it typically plays a role in the initial development of the addiction. Studies show that individuals with a family history of addiction are predisposed to developing substance abuse addiction.
When our therapists can understand the client’s family history, they can help identify risks and revise the treatment plan with ease.. This information contributes to the continued adherence to the individualized treatment plan each of our clients receives. Also, addressing the family dynamics at help can lead to strategies for creating a stable living environment for the entire family.
Self-Admission
Self-admission is the process of addiction recovery where both the client and the family admit there is a problem with substance abuse. After acknowledging the problem, each person must take responsibility for their part in the addiction. Self-admission provides a foundation on which personal growth can thrive.
It is important to note that not only does the client share their feelings about their addiction and its impact on their lives, but the family members present do the same. The family members also have the opportunity to discuss their battles with addiction, mental health, and drug misuse.
Mirroring
As we’ve pointed out, families play a significant role in a loved one’s substance dependence. That role doesn’t only come in the form of support and encouragement. Support can also include financial aid, caring for the loved one when they are sick from the substance abuse, and witnessing the client when they are at their lowest emotional state and the highest when they are feeling the euphoric effects of the drug abuse. Because of this, family is well aware of the various stages of addiction and recovery, the ups and the downs.
Having a family member mirror the actions of their loved one during all the levels of addiction allows the individual in recovery to gain a better awareness of their behavior and emotions. Our licensed therapists have clients reflect and respond to what they saw, experienced, and felt during the mirroring process. Our clients can also recognize triggers that stimulate the decision toward addictive decisions. The mirroring is then reversed, and the client models the behavior of family members, whether it be memories of when they were high or the moments leading up to the abuse.
Mirroring allows the entire family unit to collaborate on modifying unproductive behaviors and developing coping strategies that benefit the whole family.
Why is a Family Program Important?
Just as each of our clients is unique, so is each family. However, family is a bond that allows for supporting each other during treatment and recovery from substance abuse.
Research by the National Institute of Health states that 6.4 million people under the age of 26 suffer from substance use disorder (SUD). That statistic alone speaks to the need for families to get involved and break or prevent the cycle of drug abuse in their families.
What are the Benefits of Participating in a Family Program?
Family Programs have many benefits, including:
- Helping individuals with SUD acknowledge and take measures to address the underlying causes of their addiction
- Improving family communication and problem-solving skills, which leads to developing strategies to resolve conflicts better
- Facilitating ways for families to cope with stress and crises together
- Strengthening family relationships in meaningful ways
