Once your loved one leaves treatment it can be an overwhelming experience for them when returning to everyday life. Going from the safety and structure of inpatient treatment and easing back into their regular life will have its challenges. As a loved one there are a number of things that you can do to help during this transition. By understanding what is involved in living a sober life, you can be better prepared to assist and offer support to your loved one in an effort to reduce chances of relapse.
Becoming educated and staying involved in their recovery is a great place to start. By making sure that you are educated on what is involved in recovery and living a sober life, you are taking the steps needed to create a supportive environment. In many cases drug use significantly alters the lives of those close to the addict. It is not uncommon for drug and alcohol treatment facilities to provide education for family members through a family program. This will explain how addiction works and how to handle the stress caused in your life by addiction. A family program focuses on restoring the health of the family unit after addiction.
Giving your loved one encouragement and support in their treatment is a great way to help them while in early recovery. By encouraging them to continue attending meetings, work through their challenges, or just letting them know that they aren’t alone can mean the world to your loved one. Take the time to understand their treatment and why each step is important to their recovery.
Providing support by creating a substance-free environment during their sobriety is one of the most important steps you can take for you loved one in addiction recovery. Family members will need to take an active part in maintaining a drug-free or alcohol-free environment to help encourage a sober lifestyle. Removing temptation from someone in the early stages of recovery is essential. Removing items that could be considered triggers, reducing stress, and keeping open lines of communication among the family are all great ways of achieving this goal.
Find support for yourself. While your loved one has meetings, therapists, and support groups specifically for those in recovery, there are also resources available for the family of individuals in recovery. These groups and resources for family members can be a wonderful source of support for yourself and can help to provide continued learning and understanding of the recovery process that your loved one is going through.
By taking the time to better understand what is involved in living a sober life for your loved one in recovery, you are better prepared to assist with recovery and provide support, decreasing their chances of relapse.
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