Life After Rehab: How Do I Help My Loved One Through Stages of Addiction Recovery?

Recovering from addiction is a tense time for the user and their family. There’s hope for the future but also fear from the past.

Your loved one’s odds for success in recovery go up with your support.

The stages of addiction recovery aren’t linear. Your loved one is in for a rocky journey with lots of temptation. How are you going to make this challenge easier for them?

For tips on being supportive of your recovering loved one, keep reading. These are the top ways to support their sobriety and encourage their growth.

Adjust Your Expectations

You need to prepare yourself for your loved one’s return from rehab. The relationship you had before rehab isn’t the one you have now. There’s some relearning to do on both ends.

While things could be better than before, don’t expect everything to be perfect. Your loved one will be sober and have clearer thinking. But, that doesn’t erase the trauma and conflict they experienced in the past.

The best thing you can do is be open to change in your relationship with this person. Try to release the resent and anger you have towards them, or at least wait for a proper moment to discuss that.

It’s one day at a time, try to be patient and present with your loved one.

Relapse Isn’t Failure

Up to 60 percent of people recovering from alcoholism relapse at least once. It’s not an uncommon occurrence in the stages of addiction recovery.

It’s important for the family of the addict to understand this statistic. Realize that relapsing is not failing; it doesn’t negate their recovery.

As you likely know, addiction is a disease affected by chemicals in the brain. Recovering addicts are facing external temptations a well as internal chemistry. Their brains are constantly craving the rush from their substance.

If and when a relapse happens, give your loved one compassion and support. Encourage them to get back on the horse.

Remove All Judgement

It can be tempting to dwell on the crazy things that happened when your loved one was using. That time you bailed them out of jail or picked them up from a homeless shelter. The extreme activities they took part in to get their substance.

Now that they’re in recovery, you have to stop judging them for those behaviors. Of course, through family therapy, you can work through the damage. But, judging them now for what they did then is unfair.

It’s also not very encouraging. Showing you believe that they’ve changed helps them believe it themselves.

Don’t Trigger Cravings

Cravings are a serious problem for recovering addicts. They have to challenge old behavior habits, mindsets, and emotions.

The best thing you can do to support them is to remove temptations. If the recovering addict is a family member that lives with you, don’t keep alcohol in the house.

Consider showing solidarity with your loved one by giving up alcohol when you’re with them. When you go out for dinner, order a non-alcoholic beverage with them.

Have a discussion about the triggers that lead to cravings for them. You can’t control everything, but you can alter your own habits to be supportive.

New Coping Skills

In the past, your loved one may have used drugs and alcohol to cope with problems. Stress, family drama, and mental health issues all contributed to their addiction.

They are going to need new coping skills to deal with these factors and others. While you can’t learn for them, you can help them find resources.

By doing research on this topic and going above and beyond, you’re showing your love. Remember, it’s their responsibility to maintain sobriety. But, your assistance is a wonderful show of support!

Improve Family Dynamics

Like it says above, family drama causes a lot of stress and tension. Everyone involved handles it differently. Arguments, insults, and conflict don’t make for a safe environment for recovery.

Every family has issues. To support a family member in recovery, address these problems. Take accountability for things you did wrong.

Consider going to family therapy to re-establish your bonds. Individual therapy is also helpful for family members of addicts. You can’t take care of someone else if you aren’t taking care of yourself.

When one person has an addiction, the whole family needs to go through recovery.

Encourage Supportive Sober Friendships

Addicts tend to surround themselves with other addicts. After rehab, your loved one needs to find a new group of friends.

You can’t make friends for them. But, you can encourage certain friendships and relationships.

One way to do this is volunteer together. Choose an organization, not drug related, to volunteer your time with. Fellow volunteers can make excellent friends and great influences.

Perhaps their childhood friends would be good influences as well. Have a discussion about how they would feel reaching out to these people.

Be a Healthy Example

Humans learn by example; we observe others and learn from their behavior. If you want to help usher your loved one into a sober life, set a good example.

This doesn’t mean being perfect. It’s about acknowledging your own flaws and admitting you need to work on them. It’s taking action to work on them.

You can be a positive influence for your loved one by living an authentic life. Make healthy choices; live with compassion and empathy.

Taking care of yourself is an important behavior to teach. Show that it’s okay to prioritize your needs and get help. There’s no shame in working on yourself.

Are You Struggling Through the Stages of Addiction Recovery?

Addiction is a disease that affects the whole family. Your loved one may be going through the stages of addiction recovery, but you need to heal as well.

You can be an amazing support and influence for them by following the tips above. Remember to leave your judgment at the door and have compassion.

If you’re struggling to find helpful resources for your loved one, contact us. We can help find you support groups, rehab programs, and more.