Ocean Hills Recovery is there for families of alcoholics. When a person is addicted to alcohol or drugs, they are not alone in their problems. Families of addicts must deal with the deterioration of a loved one and sometimes, extreme alcoholism symptoms. The manifestation of addiction within a family can harm the whole unit by dividing those within, creating bitterness and resentment. Although they may deeply care for their suffering loved one and may have the best intentions, families of alcoholics often act misguidedly, behaving in ways that are not conducive to recovery and actually work to harm the alcoholic. As alcohol addiction is a chronic, progressive disease that can lead to demise and can forever scar families, it is imperative that everyone involved should become proactive in helping the addicted person to recover.
How is the Alcoholic Family Affected?
Families of alcoholics often instinctively prefer to deal with their problems internally, cutting themselves off from the outside world, and may even do so out of embarrassment, not wanting to expose family dysfunction. The care and consul of proper professional help is a necessity for a successful recovery for the entire family. The love and care shared within families is not enough to alleviate the problem; however, Ocean Hills Recovery’s effective counselors and administrators can help your family through the crisis of alcoholism.
Why do Families of Alcoholics Need Treatment Too?
In order for alcohol addiction treatment to work, families of alcoholics must be open and honest, willing to receive the much-needed help from our caring drug and alcohol rehab staff. Unfortunately, in most cases involving addiction, members within families of alcoholics will react to the underlying problem by taking on stereotypical roles that are harmful to the situation. For instance, a person within the family may not want to acknowledge or discuss the addiction and will distance themselves. A member may also respond by “acting out,” throwing tantrums or rebelling. This distracts from the real problem and can be harmful to all involved.
While incessant negativity may do little to help the crisis faced by families of alcoholics, denial and/or passivity can be equally as harmful. A person who seeks to uphold a positive family image at all costs, denying any existing problems, can impede the recovery progress. Additionally, someone who tries to make light of the situation through constant jokes only succeeds in undermining a very serious problem. Generally, families of alcoholics shouldn’t try to pacify all sides and validate all behaviors by seeking to make everyone happy while sweeping the real issue under the rug. This only helps to enable the alcoholic and those behaving dysfunctionally within the family. The warm, caring, professional staff of Ocean Hills Recovery will work with your family to ensure that these common behavioral mistakes are avoided and each member of the alcoholic’s family contributes positively to successful recovery.
Contact us today to find out more about our Collaborative Recovery program and how your family can benefit from alcohol treatment.
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