How to Support Your Loved One in Recovery

When a friend or family member decides to seek treatment for an alcohol or substance use disorder, their loved ones may feel an immediate sense of relief. Accepting help is a giant leap toward wellness, but recovery is a lifelong practice. The importance of family support in addiction recovery can’t be overlooked. 

The family system plays an integral role in the recovery process. A person’s loved ones can help or hinder their journey. It’s natural for them to wonder how to support someone in rehab. Thankfully, there are many ways to provide healthy and helpful encouragement to someone healing from an addiction disorder. 

Get Educated

Watching a loved one risk their health, ruin their relationships, and sabotage their career or educational goals is difficult, especially when the solution seems simple: stop using drugs or alcohol. However, those who understand the science behind addiction know it’s not that easy. 

Addiction disorders may result from a combination of factors, including genetics, past trauma, and untreated mental health concerns. Support groups for families of addicts also offer resources that help people understand the disease of addiction and the challenges that come with it. 

Addiction recovery resources for family and friends may include family therapy, support groups such as Al-Anon or CoDa (Co-dependents Anonymous), and treatment for those who may also be struggling with addiction and other mental health concerns. 

Encourage Treatment

Entering drug and alcohol treatment in the San Fernando Valley is a life-changing decision. Support from loved ones can encourage a person to seek treatment and stay in treatment until they’ve completed the program. A study published by the National Institutes of Health found that social support is a valuable component of recovery. 

Both outpatient and inpatient drug rehab in Los Angeles can be effective in helping people withdraw safely and receive the tools they need to continue their recovery journey. Finding the right program to meet the individual’s needs is key. 

Learn to Set Healthy Boundaries

It’s difficult to set and protect healthy boundaries while watching a loved one become overwhelmed by addiction. However, often, the most effective form of family support in addiction recovery includes setting boundaries with addicted loved ones. Setting boundaries doesn’t mean that love is conditional, but the types of help family members are willing to offer may be. 

Effective boundaries often include things like not giving the person money or a place to live unless they are maintaining their sobriety. A holistic drug rehab in Los Angeles will provide in-depth resources and information about setting and respecting boundaries. 

Understand Triggers

It is the responsibility of a person with a substance use disorder to recognize and learn to cope with the people, places, or events that produce anxiety and tempt them to relapse. 

However, families can show support by removing obvious triggers. Clear the home of alcohol, substances, or paraphernalia when a loved one in recovery is coming to visit.

“The loss of social connections can be difficult for people who are newly in recovery.”

Help them avoid social situations that might be triggering. Arrange social gatherings in places other than bars or clubs. Accompany them to sober events and help them rehearse how to decline invitations to events that might be triggering. 

The loss of social connections can be difficult for people who are newly in recovery. Having even one or two family members who understand triggers can provide the support that’s needed to avoid relapse. 

Be Honest

If a person in recovery asks for honest feedback about an issue, the best thing a loved one can do is give it to them. People struggling with addiction have often spent so much time living in dishonesty that they may have difficulty seeing the truth even when it’s plain to others. 

Avoid sugar-coating or being overly positive. Offering constructive and truthful comments can help a loved one stay or get back on track. Pretending that everything is okay may ultimately provide them with the excuse they were looking for to relapse. 

Be a Health and Fitness Buddy

People in recovery often rededicate themselves to living a healthier lifestyle. Good nutrition, stress management, and regular exercise can help regulate mood swings, reduce cravings, and minimize triggers. Offers to become a regular walking partner or take a healthy cooking class with a loved one are great ways to show support. 

Maintaining a healthy routine is always easier with a friend. Trying new activities like a yoga class or having a meal at a vegan restaurant can be more fun when shared with a loved one. 

Encourage Personal Responsibility

No one can do the work of recovery for someone else. Loved ones can educate themselves, set healthy boundaries, and do their best to provide helpful feedback, but it’s up to the person in recovery to take responsibility for their journey. 

Don’t fall into the role of enabler or rescuer. Wanting to make their life easier is understandable, but it may not be in the person’s best interests. Allow them to take responsibility for their actions and decisions. If they complain about their hardships, offer support and encouragement, but allow them to be in charge of their own life.

Focus on the Individual, Not the Illness

“Show support by being the friend or family member who reminds a person about their talents and strengths.”

It’s easy for a person to lose themselves in addiction. In the early stages of recovery, an individual may have a hard time remembering what their life was like before a substance use disorder became the focus.

This can be especially true for those receiving dual-diagnosis treatment in Los Angeles. Living with an addiction disorder and an accompanying mental health concern, such as depression, can be overwhelming. 

Show support by being the friend or family member who reminds a person about their talents and strengths. Encourage them to remember the dreams they had before their illness or help them set new goals that fit their new life. Be the friend who reminds them that a substance use disorder is not what defines them as a person. 

Learn More at SoberMind Recovery Holistic Rehab in Los Angeles

Encouraging someone to seek treatment at a San Fernando Valley drug rehab center is an important first step, but neither recovery nor support ends there. Education about the disease of addiction and the process of recovery will help friends and family members offer meaningful encouragement. 

Learning to set healthy boundaries and encouraging personal responsibility are also important. Spending time together in healthy pursuits will help a person in recovery feel connected and avoid triggers. It may also help them stay emotionally balanced and feel more confident in their ability to meet their goals. 

Staying healthy is a lifelong pursuit, no matter what a person’s health challenges are. Support from loved ones helps people with substance use disorders remember they are loved and still have an important place in the family structure. To learn more about the treatment programs and resources available at SoberMind Recovery, call 818-885-9268 or contact us online.