Family Involvement in Treatment and Recovery for Substance Use Disorders among Transition-Age Youth: Research Bedrocks and Opportunities PMC

Substance abuse treatment frequently includes family therapy, counseling, and education. This shows that family support is an active and essential part of rehabilitation, not just a passive role. This engagement approach has not yet been formally tested for youth with SUD (Gagne et al., 2018). Family support importance needs to be acknowledged and prioritized when an individual is in addiction and seeking recovery. Red Oak Recovery® knows that addiction can take a toll on families, and we believe that family support can make all the difference in a person’s recovery.

They also found that family-involved treatment showed consistent impacts across client age, other characteristics, and treatment models. Moreover, both family and couple therapy produce benefits for SUD whether they are delivered as the exclusive treatment or as part of a multicomponent SUD treatment program (Hogue et al., in press). Repairing fractured family connections is a central goal of drug and alcohol rehabilitation. During treatment, rehabilitation facilities use family programs family support in addiction recovery to give families and loved ones the opportunity to find healthy ways to support a person whose addiction may have caused them pain and suffering. Patients gain full awareness of the extent of addiction’s damage in these relationships, and family members get to understand some of the common roles they may have played in the progression of addiction. Family programs and therapy allow all parties to feel heard, listen to others and appropriately interpret and understand their feelings.

Can Therapy Be Part of Your Support System?

For too long, the map of recovery has focused solely on the individual’s terrain. But contemporary research paints a more intricate picture, revealing the profound impact families have on the journey to well-being. Their involvement is not a mere footnote on the road map, but a vital artery pulsing within the heart of healing. This guide delves deeper into this interconnected landscape, exploring the diverse ways families can navigate alongside their loved ones, and in turn, find their own path towards wholeness.

• Ideally, such screening instruments are administered in parallel to youth screening tools.
• Remember, while you can offer support, the ultimate responsibility for managing triggers is with your loved one, making their understanding and action essential for success.
• According to the latest national data (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2020a), about 6.4 million youth under the age of 26 meet diagnostic criteria for a SUD and over 300,000 youth meet criteria specifically for an opioid use disorder.
• During treatment, an individual works with the clinical team to help soothe their fight, flight, and/or freeze response and progress toward sobriety.
• These roles have been named many things, and this is a version of what they are and how they play out.
• It can help family members develop better communication skills, set healthy boundaries, and create a supportive environment for their loved one.

Support from loved ones plays a critical role in the treatment journey, not just as a supplementary aspect of care but as a core component of successful recovery. Loved ones can face obstacles that test their resilience, patience, and emotional stability. Understanding these challenges is crucial for developing strategies to navigate them effectively. Family counseling and therapy sessions help loved ones better understand addiction and its effects on their family. These counseling and therapy sessions are led by qualified family therapists and may allow families to learn how to provide support while setting boundaries. Your family members can also encourage you to practice healthy lifestyle habits as part of your recovery.

The Role of Family Support in Addiction Recovery

You could offer to engage in healthy activities with your loved one to support their recovery. You might take a walk or do yoga with them for exercise, and you could make healthy, nutritious dinners with them. Your loved one may enjoy creative outlets such as painting, so you could do a weekly paint night with them. And promote supportive relationships with family, friends, or support groups who understand and encourage their recovery journey.

Many of the groups mentioned above, especially Codependents Anonymous, can help you learn the difference between helping and enabling and provide tips on creating healthy boundaries. While families often bear the burden of the consequences of their loved one’s substance use disorder, they can also play a huge role in their family member’s recovery. Emotional support from family members plays a critical role, offering a foundation of love, https://ecosoberhouse.com/success-story/erics-success-story/ understanding, and hope. This support involves empathetic listening, providing a non-judgmental space for the individual to express their feelings and experiences, and reinforcing the belief that recovery is possible. Understanding addiction is the first crucial step in being able to support your loved one effectively. It’s important to realize that addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.

What Is The Role Of Family In Addiction Recovery?

Family involvement in adolescent substance abuse treatment and recovery services and supports is described as the active engagement and participation of family members in practice, program, and policy areas. Collaborative partnerships between family members and professionals are crucial to sustaining and expanding access to quality adolescent substance abuse treatment and recovery services and supports. Another promising opportunity for advancing family-oriented engagement in youth SUD services is tele-intervention (Hogue et al., 2021).

They may also help you with daily tasks such as grocery shopping or preparing meals. Providing these kinds of tangible supports to your recovery can make all the difference in terms of staying on track and building a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This component recognizes that addiction affects the person with the substance use illness and their family members. It emphasizes the significance of resources and support groups such as Al-Anon and Nar-Anon to assist family members in dealing with their difficulties. Families can provide the greatest and most enduring support both for those in substance use disorder treatment as well as those waiting in line. When you feel exasperated and furious, and you are losing someone you care about to drugs, it’s very possible you will raise your voice, yell or scream, and go head to head.