Life after Treatment
Family reunification means transitions! Welcoming your loved one home after treatment is exciting, but also frightening. Many families wonder what to expect. While every family is different, the following broad guidelines are designed to help you to prepare for life after treatment.
Best Behavior
- When your loved one returns from treatment, it may seem that everyone is on his or her best behavior, including children. In the early stages, families tend to protect persons in recovery as they work out what they can handle. During this phase:
- The person in recovery is preoccupied with maintaining sobriety — attending meetings, focusing on his or her recovery — family members may feel neglected.
- The family learns new ways to have fun together and express affection without alcohol or drugs. Recreation is very important at this stage.
- The whole family, not just the person in recovery, should talk about how they have helped or hindered one another in the past.
When The Honeymoon Ends…
- Once the initial excitement of the person’s return from treatment wears off, the family often goes through a difficult period. The person in recovery feels alienated, misunderstood, and underappreciated (“I did all this for my family, and they don’t even care.”) During this stage, the former user is most vulnerable to relapse.
- Feeling of anger and bad memories start to resurface.
- Children may start acting out.
- Adults may feel frustrated by amount of time and attention given to recovery.
Stabilization
- Over time, the family will adjust to the necessary changes, and new roles and responsibilities.
- The family readjusts roles and learns to share feelings with one another in a positive way.
- The family finds a new balance and incorporates necessary changes.
- Family members begin to focus again on their own needs, personal growth and development.
Alcohol and drug abuse is a family problem, and recovery is a family process. As you welcome your loved one back into the family after treatment for alcohol or drug abuse, you need to be prepared for the changes that lie ahead.
Click here for tips about what to expect when a loved one completes treatment and how to cope with the changes in your family life.