Family Aftercare: Bringing People Together in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, British Columbia – Options Okanagan Treatment Centers in Kelowna, British Columbia treating opiate and alcohol addiction and recovery.
Addiction has an impact on everyone, including the loved ones of the addict. It creates a very stressful situation, where family members struggle to understand how to deal with the addiction and what it is doing to everyone involved. Traumatic situations are not unusual in these cases; for example, the police may have been called to the home before. The addict may have become physically aggressive. He or she may have become verbally or mentally abusive. The loved one involved may find themselves consumed with worry but powerless to alter the situation. The addict may lie to the people that are trying to help him the most. The loved ones may find that they are being blamed for situations that are out of their control. All in all, it is a very negative situation that takes its toll on everyone that is involved in the addict’s life.
Addiction leads to problems for everyone in the family. Studies show that the loved ones of the addict are more likely to receive a diagnosis of depression or other mental illness than people whose loved ones suffer from asthma or diabetes. Clearly, it is a difficult situation for everyone, not just the addict.
If you have a loved one with a drug or alcohol issue, you know how difficult it is to watch as they spiral out of control. You want to help. You want to do the right thing. Unfortunately, helping that loved one sometimes overtakes your own life. The owner of Options Okanagan, Doug MacKenzie, believes that some people simply don’t see what is happening to their own life because they are consumed by what is happening to the addict. These people try and try again to help in situations that are beyond their control. They want to “make it right” for the addict. However, often the situation spirals into isolation and resentment, and boundaries slowly slip away.
Loved Ones Need Support Too
In order to truly help someone that is dealing with addiction, you need to be patient, provide support and get them professional treatment. What many people do not realize is that the loved ones of the addict also need these same three things. Trying to help an addict is a frustrating and unpredictable process. Therefore, it makes sense for the loved one to also attend a professional program aimed at helping them better understand addiction. The program can also inspire the loved one, as it helps them see that change can happen. It gives them hope, which they need in order to move forward.
Loved ones also need to start a journey toward recovery, and a professional program is a great way to begin that process. It helps the loved one learn, gain new skills and set goals. There is also aftercare available to help the healing continue.
Doug at Options Okanagan thinks that the loved ones of the addict need to get support after the conclusion of the addiction treatment program. Loved ones were embroiled in a difficult situation as well; they were exposed to many of the worst parts of addiction. The pain does not go away overnight, and everyone needs to receive support so that they can work to rebuild their relationship.
Studies indicate that loved ones need certain things to deal with their experience and to come out on top in the end. These things include positive social support and solid information. Some treatment programs have always offered family aftercare services, believing that it has a very positive impact on the healing process for all involved. The addict has to be the one that takes control of their addiction and fights to get better. Loved ones can help, however, by not becoming enablers and encouraging the right behaviors. These things do not come naturally to most people, though, and they need to be given the right information in order to succeed.
Setting Up The Right Environment
A healing environment is made up of many components. In the aftercare process, loved ones are educated on addictions and negative choices. They start to see what their role in the negativity was. Basically, loved ones figure out what they should and should not do during the recovery process.
It is valuable to be around others that have gone through what you have gone through. Loved ones truly benefit from group aftercare for a number of reasons. First, you are with others that know what you are going through. You can talk openly; there is no need for shame or secrets. No one in the group judges you, because they have been where you are. In addition, you will hear about what others have been through and may be able to learn from their experiences. You feel hopeful. You feel confident. You even start to feel good about yourself again. Finally, you realize that your needs are important and that you have a voice, too.
Joining Family Aftercare
For the most part, you can go to a family aftercare program regardless of whether your loved one was involved in a treatment program at the facility or not. Some aftercare programs may last as long as two years. After that, there are often self-facilitated groups available. Typically, the amount of money you pay goes down every year that you are in the program.
Support programs are crucial to helping you recover from what is often a traumatic situation. These programs also help you learn how best to help your loved one going forward as well.
If you want to find out more, simply go online and search for information. You can call or email a program that you are interested in.
Options Okanagan Opiate and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Opiate Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, heroin drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Opiate Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331