What To Expect When A Loved One Is In Recovery

By Author: Care Addiction
Total Articles: 38
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Most people feel joy and hopefulness when their loved one enters addiction treatment. It can take a long time for loved ones to accept sobriety, and they are often excited to see everything go back to "normal" after the treatment process. Nevertheless, these expectations may be unrealistic for those newly sober.

There is no cure for addiction, and recovery is a lifelong process. During treatment, individuals receive the right tools to manage the disease, but they must remain sober and take responsibility for their recovery afterward.

What should you expect? Nothing. It has nothing to do with what you want or expect. Your loved one is on their own journey.

How You Can Help

During the first year, it's important for your loved one to follow their relapse prevention aftercare plan to prevent falling back into old habits and patterns. It might include things like:

Attending Meetings like AA
Socializing with others in recovery
Spending time with a sponsor

...
... Keep a positive attitude, provide love and support, and plan ways to keep them on track, such as:

Supporting ongoing treatment
Learning as much as you can about recovery
Creating a sober environment
Seeing a therapist or attending Al-Anon groups yourself

​​Changing your own expectations and letting go of what you cannot control can also help your loved one. Families and loved ones of addicts may find that seeing a therapist or attending a group such as Al-Anon can provide support and tools to help communicate and rebuild trust.

What Not To Do

There are a few don'ts to keep in mind as you help your loved one recover:

Don’t use substances around your loved one. Instead, find activities you can enjoy together that don’t involve the substance.
Don’t enable them, and let your loved one take responsibility for their own actions.
Don’t exclude them or make them feel different because they are in recovery.
Don’t dwell on the past, instead focus on rebuilding your relationship and trust.

If you or a loved one need help with substance abuse, Care Addiction Center can help you along every step of the way. Call our Illinois rehab today at 630-402-0144.

Care Addiction Center provides compassionate, confidential & professional treatment services for adults suffering from alcohol & substance abuse. We believe that recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction is possible, even in very late stages. Our experienced and caring staff is dedicated to providing comprehensive drug treatment services for alcoholism and substance abuse with multiple levels of care. Substance Abuse Treatment for Kane County, Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles, Elburn, South Elgin, West Chicago, and Aurora Illinois.