For the most part, Americans find deep satisfaction in their community, family, and social bonds. When a person can quit using addictive substances and enjoy their family and social lives, they’re happier, healthier, and more motivated to stay sober. At St. Gregory Recovery Center in Iowa, we know that the treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) isn’t just about the affected individual. It includes their loved ones as well.
This is why we offer the family program for addiction recovery, an opportunity to rebuild what addiction destroys at home and between family members.
The Cycle of Broken Promises, Partners in Pain, and Confused Kids
The effects of addiction in the home can be obvious, like dwindling finances, or much more subtle, like decreased stability and emotional safety. Addiction fractures trust in small ways that, over time, will cause major consequences. These fractures may start as questions in the minds of spouses:
- Where did the money in the checking account go?
- Why is my spouse out late so often when they never were before?
- Why are they falling asleep at the dinner table?
Elderly parents and children may begin to wonder why their caretakers are spouting strange excuses for not being present. They start to notice arguments, absence, and odd behaviors. They, too, begin to question their family environment:
- Can I no longer rely on my parent or my adult child?
- Are they avoiding me because I upset them?
- How many promises will they break?
Children and younger family members might start to be hypervigilant in detecting signs of drug use. They could lose faith and trust in their parent’s ability to take care of them. Spouses may feel that they can no longer relate to their partners as adults. Older parents may feel lost, devastated, and useless as they watch their adult children suffer.
When Extended Family and Friends Take Notice
In more advanced and prolonged addiction scenarios, extended family members and family friends may start to feel the effects. Family gatherings may become tense with unexplained absences, shifting dynamics, and arguments.
This creates a larger strain that starts to splinter the community as a whole—members can no longer gather in peace, and factions may begin to form as people develop different opinions on what should be done and how.
How St. Gregory Recovery Center Helps Rebuild Trust in Recovery
Firstly, we want to congratulate all of our readers who have completed our inpatient residential addiction treatment program in Bayard or have supported a family member who struggles with SUD. Your pain and perseverance don’t go unnoticed. We want to offer hope when it comes to rebuilding trust between your family members. It’s more than possible to rebuild relationships, heal, and reinstate stability within the family unit.
We first help you achieve this in our cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions, where we teach patience and understanding. We help you learn that trust is a privilege, and it must be earned back little by little over time. We encourage all of our clients to adopt behaviors that help earn that trust back, such as:
- Be consistent. Match your words and promises with actions.
- Communicate. Honestly and constructively verbalize feelings and fears to family members.
- Be compassionate. Recognize that some family members will need more time and reassurance to feel they can trust you again.
Moving Forward With Family Addiction Services in Iowa
When you choose either of our locations in Bayard or Des Moines, we use addiction education workshops, support group meetings, treatment plan customizations that include family members, and family counseling to help you rebuild trust in the following ways:
- Learning to identify and respond to potential relapse triggers
- Understanding how emotional support can be provided without compromising boundaries
- Practicing open and honest communication methods
- Rebuilding or creating a home environment that supports lasting recovery and joyful sobriety
If your family member, friend, spouse, or child is struggling with addiction and you fear they’re beyond the point of repair, don’t give up. Contact us today. We have much more than inpatient treatment and family service options. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs), equine therapy, and our Tactical Recovery program for Veterans can all help you rebuild your community after addiction has taken root.
