Family members who are committed to supporting you through addiction recovery will receive many benefits from family therapy:
Education: Therapy teaches family members what addiction is and how it impacts every person in the family unit. Your family learns that addiction is a disease that makes it very difficult to control one’s behavior during active use. They also learn about the long-term effects of addiction as well as what is necessary for long-term recovery.
Healing: Family therapy helps members work through the problems and challenges each person faces. Addiction creates tensions in the family. It’s not possible to move on in recovery without dealing with those tensions. The goal of therapy isn’t to rehash problems but to find a way to work through them, forgive, and move forward. Therapy can also make it clear when you might need to disengage from certain family members or walk away altogether.
Support: Therapy helps everyone in the family feel supported and to work together to support your recovery. Family members will learn to notice when stress is affecting you. They’ll learn about the triggers that influence your drug and alcohol use. They’ll also learn to recognize when it is time for them to reach out to a mentor or therapist to help you.