Watching a parent struggle with alcohol or drug addiction can be challenging, and when they take the courageous step toward recovery, it's natural to want to support them.
Recovery is a complex journey that requires patience, understanding, and active support. Here are some ways you can help your parent during this crucial time.
1. Educate Yourself About Addiction
The first step in supporting your parent is understanding what addiction is and isn't. Addiction is a disease, not a choice or moral failing. Learn about the challenges of addiction and the recovery process, healthy boundaries, communication strategies, and potential triggers and relapse risks.
Read books, blogs and articles on addiction and recovery.
Attend workshops, seminars, or talks focusing on addiction and recovery. These are often hosted by community centers, hospitals, or universities.
Join support groups like Al-Anon, Nar-Anon or Adult Children of Alcoholics
Listen to podcasts such as Sober.Coffee that focus on the subject of addiction, offering both scientific insights and personal stories.
This knowledge can help you provide better support and keep your expectations realistic.
2. Provide Emotional Support
One of the most impactful ways you can support your parent is by showing unconditional love and understanding. Listen to them without judgment and express your belief in their ability to recover. Your support can be a powerful motivator for them to continue their path to recovery.
Providing support to someone dealing with addiction is a delicate balance. Support aims to help the individual grow, face their addiction, and take responsibility for their recovery. In contrast, enabling behavior, often done with good intentions, inadvertently supports the addiction, allowing the individual to avoid the consequences of their actions and potentially delaying recovery.
By setting boundaries and emphasizing personal responsibility, you can avoid enabling behaviors and truly aid your parent in their path to recovery.
3. Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries is essential for both your well-being and your parent's recovery. Decide what behaviors you will not tolerate, such as substance use in the home, and communicate these boundaries clearly and respectfully.
Knowing what behaviors are typical in recovery, what signs indicate progress, and what red flags to watch for can guide how you implement and adjust your boundaries.
Setting boundaries is not about controlling the recovering individual but rather about protecting your relationship and ensuring that your interactions promote healthy, responsible behavior.
4. Encourage Treatment and Recovery Activities
Encourage your parent to follow their treatment plan and attend recovery meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). You can show your support by offering to drive them to meetings or therapy sessions, or simply asking about their experiences and progress.
5. Help Create a Substance-Free Environment
Making the home environment substance-free is crucial. This might mean removing alcohol or drugs from the house and avoiding substances in social situations. You can also help by planning family activities that don’t involve alcohol or drugs, creating a healthy routine for the entire family.
6. Celebrate Milestones
Recovery is a series of small victories that deserve celebration. Acknowledge and celebrate milestones like sobriety anniversaries. Celebrating these achievements can boost your parent’s morale and encourage them to stay on the recovery path.
Getting Help
Supporting a parent in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction is not easy, but it is incredibly worthwhile.
At Care Addiction Center, we offer family support because of the vital role that family involvement plays in recovery. Family members are encouraged to join our family support group to:
Learn more about the disease of addiction
Ask questions
Role play different events and receive feedback
Family support group reaches individuals in Geneva, Batavia, Sycamore, St. Charles, and Kane County IL ensuring everyone has the opportunity to access family therapy for addiction. With the right support, your parent can rebuild their life and your family can heal and grow stronger together.
If you have questions about helping yourself or a loved one, call us today or schedule a confidential assessment online and begin treatment.
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