Help for Families of Addicts

When you have a loved one who struggles with drug or alcohol abuse – whether they’re in denial, treatment, or recovery – it’s difficult to take the focus off the individual and begin to focus on your healing. However, healing is exactly what needs to be done for the spouses, parents, and siblings of people who battle substance abuse. Banyan Alaska offers help for families of addicts through our family program, utilizing therapy to offer education on addiction and guidance on how to offer recovering addicts the right kind of support. If this sounds like the kind of care you need, keep reading to learn how we can be there for you.

Benefits of Family Therapy for Addiction

Family members are profoundly affected when another family member develops a drug or alcohol addiction. Often, the individual’s condition has become highly severe by the time family members are aware of the problem and seek help. One of our newest Banyan Treatment Center locations, our Anchorage treatment center, offers treatment for addiction and support groups for families of addicts, including spouses, parents, caregivers, and siblings

There are many reasons why someone close to an addict should seek out support for themselves. For one, they may struggle with the mental, emotional, and sometimes physical aftermath of a loved one’s battle with addiction. It’s also common for those closest to the addict to want to take care of them and make them happy, often leading to enabling and codependent behaviors that only reinforce self-destructive behaviors.

Family therapy programs are designed to educate family members on the complexities of addiction, teach them how to properly support their loved ones in recovery, and offer them individualized care to encourage personal growth and healing. Family therapy for addiction provides many benefits for both the addict and their family, including:

• A better understanding of the importance of taking responsibility for their own emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being
• A better understanding of what to expect in treatment and recovery
• Guidance for making positive changes in communication and behavior
• Improved treatment retention
• Improved understanding of addiction and how it affects families
• Increased awareness of the warning signs of relapse
• Increased family support for the person in recovery
• Promoting family strengths
• Reduced risk of relapse

Support for Families of Addicts at Banyan

Counseling for families of addicts can take different forms. However, our program involves having the family and the addict meet together in group therapy sessions and having family members meet alone with therapists in individual therapy sessions. Each session lasts about an hour and may focus on certain topics like building trust, trauma, and others, depending on the family’s needs.

Our therapists may also focus on different relationships within the family in relation to the addict. For instance, clients with spouses may meet with their spouses for couples counseling, or they may meet with their parents in group therapy sessions. As we mentioned, it all depends on the client’s and family’s needs.

Our family addiction counseling is one of several services offered at our Anchorage rehab. As part of our outpatient programs, our help for families of addicts is designed to aid clients in their transition to life after rehab, ensure they have a strong support system at home, and help family members heal and rebuild their relationships.

Contact Our Alaska Rehab Today

No matter how long addiction has affected you or a loved one, we’re here to help. As one of few treatment centers in Alaska, Banyan is here to offer the support you need for long-term sobriety.

For more information about our drug addiction treatment in Alaska, contact Banyan Treatment Centers today.