Alcoholism/addiction affects the family adversely, but the family in many cases can also positively influence the Recovery of the addict/alcoholic.
For many years, family members were discouraged from getting directly involved in the patient’s Recovery. This traditional approach has gradually come to be regarded as a big mistake. Recent research in the management of addicts/alcoholics has shown that the family’s Recovery should not be handled separately, as long as at least some of the family members are willing and the patient agrees to interactive treatment. Both Recoveries (the addict/alcoholic’s and the family’s) are in fact profoundly interrelated.
Early Recovery is often stressful for the family. Ignoring this (as was commonly done in the past) hampers the Recovery process both for the alcoholic/addict and her/his family. It is not unusual for the family to initially reconfigure itself, even partially disintegrate, in early Recovery. Preparing the family for this possibility at the initial outset is the task of the therapist and may prevent a complete and irreversible collapse of the family structure.
The skillful therapist will help family members understand what is happening, explain their anger and guilt, enlist their help and support, replace their sense of helplessness with empowerment, and if necessary, provide separate treatment for individual family members.
In current addiction therapy, the family (in many cases) can be regarded as a powerful and effective ally in the addict’s/alcoholic’s Recovery, rather than as an isolated and bothersome entity; unfortunately, this latter view was, and still is, all too frequent.
If the addict/alcoholic has any viable attachments to healthy members in his/her family, then priority (EARLY in treatment) must be given to strengthening these attachments and connections and enlisting the help and cooperation of these family members.
One of the characteristics of addiction is a lack of connection. Recovery, on the other hand, may be seen as the “recovery” of connectivity, of kinship, and therefore of family. Ideally, this should occur AT THE SAME TIME as the severing of the addict/alcoholic’s unhealthy attachments. As far as possible, this reconnection with the family should not occur in some vaguely-defined future.
Family reintegration is, in and of itself, a crucial first step, and should be considered a blueprint, in re-establishing (or establishing for the first time) healthy social connections OUTSIDE of the family as well.
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