Why Rehab so Often Includes Family Therapy
Despite the fact that so many drug addicts and alcoholics put the blame of their addictions on the pressure put on them by their families, the connections to their families is often a huge deterrent from relapse. Understanding that, many rehab centers like First Step Behavioral Health offer some form of familial integration into their patients’ drug addiction therapies.
The most common form of family therapy in drug or alcohol rehab is done by inviting the patient’s family to the rehab center for a scheduled therapy session. During this therapist ran session, the family will discuss how the patient’s actions have impacted them, and the patient will often discuss how they ended up with a substance abuse problem. These sessions are important in helping mend once-broken relationships, which are especially important in keeping people off drugs or alcohol after rehab.
Accountability and Aftercare
The reason that family therapy is so effective as a rehab tool has little to do with the rehab itself. The goal here is to build up familial relationships so the patient will feel more accountability toward their family members. In theory, the stronger the relationship that a person has with their family, the more likely they will want to make sure that they don’t disappoint those family members by relapsing back to substance abuse.
The responsibility here, however, isn’t entirely on the addict. By taking it upon themselves to go to family therapy at a rehab center, the family needs to understand that they are not only showing their support for the patient, but they are showing that they can be relied upon by the patient after returning home from rehab.
Get Help as Soon as Possible
If you have a loved one who has a substance abuse problem or has developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol, act early to get them the help they need. The longer you wait before helping them quit, the more risk they will be in for getting hurt or, in the case of severe overdose, death.
Contact us with any questions or concerns and we’ll be glad to help.
