All relationships, whether they’re romantic or platonic, hit their rough patches, but family bonds are hard to break.

When it comes to recovering from addiction, the support of a parent or sibling can make a world of difference. Unfortunately, drug and alcohol abuse often breaks family bonds. On the other hand, some family members want to be a little too involved in the recovery process, so where’s the balance? If you’re newly sober, here are some tips you can use when involving family in recovery that can help you rebuild these relationships and allow you to receive the support you need.

Benefits of Family Support in Recovery

Because support is such an important part of the recovery journey, family involvement in addiction treatment and recovery can increase your chances of success. When you have your loved ones going through the ups and downs of recovery, it can help you feel like you are not alone and prevent you from turning to drugs or alcohol when times get tough. Having your family partake in your addiction recovery journey can also keep you honest, and on track, so you don’t get complacent.

Involving family in recovery not only gives you more support in sobriety but also can help you start to fix these broken relationships. Addiction may be hard for your family to understand, but the more involved they become in your recovery, the more they will learn about addiction and the recovery process. When they have a better understanding of what you have been going through, they may more likely forgive you, and it could help you reconnect more easily.

Tips for Involving Family in Recovery

There are many benefits to combining family and addiction recovery, but taking these first steps together can be hard. There are also various roles of family in addiction that can impact all parties involved, which can also be addressed when your loved ones are involved in your drug or alcohol treatment. Our Christian-based rehab has some ideas to kickstart the process so that you and your family can heal together.

Go to Therapy

Involving your family in recovery isn’t easy when your relationship with them is in shambles. Especially if your relationship was severely damaged by your addiction, you might want professional help. Mending a broken relationship takes time, and therapy is one way to facilitate this process. You could go to a group session with a few family members at once or attend therapy with just one member.

Either way, the therapist will be able to help you and your loved one talk more openly and honestly without hurting each other more. Our Christian drug rehab offers family therapy, which includes individual sessions between the family and our therapists, as well as group sessions with the individual and their loved ones.

Get Healthy

Along with partaking in various Christian-based recovery programs in rehab, you were also likely taught the importance of developing a healthy lifestyle in recovery. Now that you are on your own, sticking to this schedule can be more difficult, but getting your family involved can help. Make an exercise plan, cook healthy meals together, and try to follow a good sleep routine. Not only can you keep each other accountable when you do these activities together, but you will also both reap the benefits.

Attend Recovery Meetings Together

One of the easiest ways of involving your family in recovery is by having them attend recovery meetings with you. You should be going to recovery meetings regularly on your own, though, especially at first, they may be intimidating. Ask a family member to join you for support. This can help them learn more about addiction as well as give the two of you something to do together. With them by your side, you may also feel more comfortable sharing with the group and be able to experience more benefits from the meetings.

Get Spiritual

Faith is a source of strength for many people in recovery and especially if you went to religious addiction treatment, faith is probably a large part of your life. Ask your family to attend church, church groups, or Bible Studies with you. Pray when you sit down for dinner or even read scripture from The Bible aloud together. Not everyone in your family may have as strong of faith as you, so be careful not to force it on them and start slowly.

Have Fun

Your addiction probably put a lot of stress on your family, and your loved ones may have spent countless hours worrying about you or feeling depressed themselves. You may have become withdrawn from them or opted out of family gatherings as well. Now that you are in recovery and mostly back to being yourself, go have some fun together. After such an emotional rollercoaster, your family could use a little joy. Take the initiative to plan sober activities that everyone can enjoy, such as mini golf, bowling, going to the arcade, or playing board games. This can help your family see that you have changed while also helping you all bond.

Addiction Treatment & Support for Families of Addicts  

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At Faith in Recovery, we take a spiritual approach to addiction treatment that allows our patients to overcome not only their substance use disorders but also strengthen their relationship with God. If you or a family member is battling a substance abuse problem, you are not alone.

Call Faith in Recovery today at 888-280-4763 or send us your contact information to find out more about our Christ-centered addiction treatment and services.

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