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Pressure From Family And Addiction Recovery
The family can be a source of support, but it can also be a cause of stress. In this blog from Samarpan Recovery, we explore how your family and addiction recovery don’t always work together. We also look at simple methods you can use to limit pressure from your family. If you’d like more information on this subject, or require substance abuse treatment, contact Samarpan today.
Unnecessary stress, including family pressure to "get better," can significantly affect a person's recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) or mental health issues. The family and addiction recovery can often work together. However, families can also contribute to the problem of addiction, especially if multigenerational SUD or mental health conditions have affected the client.
According to MedlinePlus, "Children who grow up seeing their parents using drugs may have a high risk of developing substance use problem[s] later in life for both environmental and genetic reasons." Adults in treatment may face unrealistic pressure or expectations from family members. Samarpan Recovery reduces family tension by educating clients and their families on the realities of addiction treatment.
Family and community expectations influence how clients respond to therapy and other forms of treatment. According to Innovation in Aging, "Those receiving support from their family members may feel a greater sense of self-worth, and this enhanced self-esteem may be a psychological resource, encouraging optimism, positive affect, and better mental health."
Family engagement in treatment provides additional accountability and ensures clients feel supported. However, families can also hinder recovery if they have expectations that do not meet reality.
Family pressure during recovery often involves the following:
Comparing the family member in recovery to another person
Expecting inhumanly fast recovery or treatment progress
Blaming the person in recovery for their situation without taking into account the context of their situation
Not considering the emotional distress their language and actions have on loved ones in recovery
Avoiding responsibility for any enabling behaviours that contributed to the development of their loved one's substance misuse
Family members often fail to recognize their own role in the development of a loved one's mental health issues. However, family therapy and other support services can educate them and provide essential context. Family members who participate in the recovery process have an obligation to learn about mental health and the details of their loved one's condition.
Families often try to conform to community expectations. In some cases, this can increase the risk of clients developing maladaptive behaviours to cope with the stress. In this way, family and addiction negatively impact each other. Clients do not want to embarrass or dishonour their families. However, mental health issues and substance misuse are medical conditions, not moral failing.
Clients who fail to conform should not have to experience being ostracised or mistreated by family members or their community. Unfortunately, appearances often play a vital role in family status within a community.
Samarpan Recovery shows clients a new way to look at their mental, emotional, and physical health. Our dedicated care team ensures that every client understands they have worth and deserve to be treated with respect regardless of how well they conform to community expectations. We do not let family expectations control the direction of treatment.
Clients and their care team can limit family pressure by setting boundaries and taking other actions. Below are four ways to reduce the stress of family pressure during treatment and long-term recovery.
Families are often motivated by personal, cultural, or religious beliefs and goals. The pressure they put on loved ones in recovery can complicate treatment and cause some clients to feel ambivalent about treatment. Cultural and religious expectations may also increase the severity of co-occurring mental health symptoms like depression and anxiety. Clients who remain aware of these factors and work around them in treatment often have better outcomes.
Education is a powerful tool. Many families know very little about the realities of mental health disorders and substance misuse. Often they only know what they have heard in the news or from popular media. Stigmas and stereotypes may influence their thoughts about substance misuse and the recovery process. Clients and the care team can reduce family pressure by educating families on how actions, beliefs, and behaviours impact people recovering from SUD.
Family dynamics change over time. Clients must learn how to recognize the role of their families in recovery. Maintaining mindfulness and staying aware of how family dynamics affect overall mental health helps clients identify maladaptive behaviours and toxic relationships. Clients who focus on repairing family relationships often improve their self-efficacy and self-confidence. Peer interactions during rehabilitation can help clients learn healthy social skills that will help them establish and maintain positive family dynamics.
In most cases, a client's family cannot veto treatment choices at our facility. Group therapy and peer activities during treatment allow clients to learn how to set and maintain social boundaries effectively. Setting limits with the family can make it easier for clients to feel more confident managing their condition. Samarpan Recovery encourages clients and their families to support one another during recovery.
Family expectations sometimes cause clients to avoid treatment or struggle with low self-esteem. Often, family members have no idea what their loved ones have experienced or what to expect from long-term recovery. Clients often feel pressured to meet unrealistic expectations and treatment goals set by family members. However, at Samarpan Recovery, we ensure clients control their own treatment instead letting family members make those choices. Personal autonomy is essential to treatment and improves a client's sense of self-worth and self-efficacy. We can help families encourage their loved ones during the recovery process. To learn more about family and addiction recovery, or about our treatment programs at Samarpan, call us at +91 81809 19090.
+91 81809 19090admissions@samarpan.in