Something that you should consider as you start taking the steps you need to get clean and take back control of your life is the impact your addiction has had on your family. Chances are, you’ve already thought about this, and depending on your situation, you may have even had a falling out or argument with your loved ones about your addiction. Perhaps they tried to get you to get help at a time when you weren’t ready to take that step, or maybe there’s been no major problem like that, but your family has simply struggled in one way or another directly related to your addiction. It could be financial problems, legal issues, marital problems or anything else related to the disease, and even if you think you’re the only one that’s been affected, or that you’ve hid it well enough, it’s very likely that you’re wrong.
From day one, our family is usually our biggest support system. We lean on them, and they lean on us, even when we don’t realize that we are. When we struggle with an addiction, our behaviors and moods tend to change dramatically, and our family members can often see it in us before we can see it in ourselves. As we slide further and further into addiction, they’re the ones there first hand, witnessing something that they can’t fix for you, and watching the loved one they’ve known slowly disappear into drugs or alcohol. They’re our biggest supporters, and they’re also often the first people we lash out at while we’re battling addiction. Family members steal from family members to further their addictions, they lie and cheat and over time, our once strong family unit is as battered and weary as we are.
Your family needs support while you’re in treatment and recovery because while it may not have been their addiction, it was still their struggle too. Their lives were impacted, often in awful and extreme ways, by the choices made in addiction, and sometimes, the damage done isn’t simply wiped away with time. It’s important to make sure you’re open with your family members, and that they’re open with you.
A majority of treatment programs and centers are now offering programs focusing on helping families cope with and rebuild after addiction rocks the household, and The Springboard Center is no different because they understand how important it is for not only you to heal, but the family you have behind you to heal as well. If you’re struggling with an addiction and your family needs support as well, don’t let another day go by. Call and get help today: 432-620-0255.
