Alcohol Help - Addiction help to get families on road to recovery

Published 30/09/2008

Families of addicts need help too. But where individuals in drug/alcohol treatment get 24-hour help and support, over a four to six week programme, families are at home, not knowing what to do. But help is at hand for them too, to rebuild their lives.

Simon Hill, enquiries/admissions at Linwood Group, says families affected by drink or drug addiction undergo four stages of recovery.

In the first stage families have become "unwell" too, and have fallen into the same behaviour as the addict. Using excuses and lies to cover up, trying to use manipulation back on the alcoholic. Mr Hill says: "The family isn't aware of what they're doing. It becomes the norm."

In the early stages there are feelings of anger, emotional pain, resentment, guilt, shame, blame, helplessness and fatigue to work through. The Linwood programme of family addiction help, enables them eventually to heal.

The second stage of recovery, and families need to engage in the programme, get involved with a group and see how others have experienced similar things. Families understand they are not alone, they are not responsible and this helps deal with the emotional turmoil, the shame and the anger. They learn to think more accurately about their future roles, and gather tools to help them deal with the addict on his or her return.

In stage three, the addict is now home, and working on his/her daily programme. Linwood encourages the family to look at accepting their own misunderstanding of the illness from the past - which enabled the addict to continue drinking - and to move forward. Familes meet a new group of friends, which provides a support network, giving hope and courage to face the future.

The fourth and final stage is about families looking to the longer term, and the long-term recovery for the ex-addict and the family. Both must avoid slipping back into old patterns of thinking and behaviour. And learn how to cope if there is a relapse. 

Contact Linwood Group for confidential advice and information on family addiction help.

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