A mother’s love doesn’t fade— no matter the age of the child. When your child is battling addiction, you want to do everything possible to help them heal. For many mothers, getting their child into a rehab program is a top priority.
But what happens when your child gets admitted into rehab? How do you continue to support them as they recover? These are questions that mothers struggle with, and many are unsure of what role to play as the recovery process occurs.
In today’s post, we have some useful tips for moms with children in recovery.
Be Involved
Time and time again, family support has shown to play a positive role in the healing process for many of our patients. Detox and rehab can be a trying experience for your child, and it helps if they know they have your love and support. Addiction can be a lonely place. Feelings of isolation and depression can push one deeper into addiction, creating a self destructive loop.
Recovering from addiction is an individual journey, but it is also a group effort. A mother’s involvement can help with…
Compliance. A mother’s involvement can make the patient more compliant during treatment. Your child is familiar with you, and is often more willing to open up to you than other people. You can help keep your child on track with the program.
Support. For someone in rehab, just knowing that you have the love and support of your mother can help them continue the treatment— even if they don’t feel up to it.
Collaboration. As we said, rehabilitation can be a group effort. No one knows the patient quite like a mother, and if you’re familiar with your child’s condition and are aware of what triggers their addictive behavior, you can provide much-needed insight to rehab counselors and clinicians.
Now, when we say involvement, we’re not suggesting you need to be integrated in every step of the recovery process. We’re not saying you need to check in on your child every day. We’re saying you should be involved as your child enters the program. You should let your child know that you love and support them. You should talk to the rehab staff to see if there are any ways you can help.
Give Your Child Time
You want your child to heal. And it’s safe to say you’ll do everything possible to make that happen. But here’s the truth: there’s really only so much you can do. You must give your child time, and you must be accepting of what they’re going through. Rehabilitation is still an individual process. Your child must become accountable for their own well-being. This requires you must relinquish control.
This means you accept the outcome, whether you like it or not. Realize your child may falter. They may struggle mightily during the process. They may not progress as fast as you’d like. As long as they remain in the program, this is all ok.
Many moms who are involved in the recovery process often struggle with ceding control, but it’s necessary for your child break through their addiction.
As your child rehabs, you may also need to abandon preconceived notions of who your child is. Many moms have a strong idea of who their child was “before” the addiction, and they expect their child to return to that image after they become sober. Understand that your idea of who they were isn’t necessarily who they will become. Part of rehab is transformation, and patients will need to explore who they are without the influence of drugs and alcohol. This process may cause them to change dramatically, and it can alter the family dynamics. Even as things change, your child will need your support and acceptance.
Take Time For Yourself
Witnessing your child spiral into addiction can be maddening, confusing, and depressing. Like many moms, you may want to do everything in your power to change the circumstances, but it may feel like you are powerless to forces outside of your control. Addiction doesn’t merely affect your child, it affects the people around them, including you.
We recommend using your child’s rehab time as a way to also focus on yourself. In some cases, it may even be a good idea to seek guidance and support from a therapist to help you work out
any issues you’re going through. Just as your child is experiencing changes in recovery, you’re changing, too. As we said in the previous section, you have to adapt to new ways of thinking, you need to relinquish control, and you’ll have to accept how your child transforms— even if it’s not ideal in your eyes.
This is taxing. But this is all normal. You need time and space to express yourself and release pent-up thoughts and energy. Having support during this stage can make your child’s recovery process a positive experience for you, and will help you cope with the challenges you encounter.
Confront And Change Your Behavior
Family member tend to become enablers— people who trigger addicts into abusing drugs and alcohol. This is often unintentional, as you believe your actions come from a place of love and support. An example of enabling would be giving your child money for rent when you know they’re likely to use it on drugs. For your child to grow and break free from their addiction, the best way to help them is to keep them accountable, and put them into a position to make smart decisions for their own well-being.
Even as your child successfully exits the rehab program, your behavior can play a role in their sobriety. Be honest with yourself and analyze if there were actions you took in the past that pushed your child into addiction. Modify your behavior so that you don’t enable that outcome in the future.
Find Addiction Treatment For Your Child
These tips for moms with children in recovery can make the healing process easier for you and your child.
Seeing your child suffer through addiction can be heartbreaking. But you should know that there is help available to turn your child’s life around.
Recovery is a collaborative process involving the patient, the rehab center, and you— the parent. Be open with your child, assess the situation clearly, and find the help they need to conquer their addiction.
Contact ASANA Recovery today to learn how your child can enter our addiction treatment program.
