Addiction is hardest on the addict, of course, but it can be a difficult experience for the addict’s loved ones as well. Addiction can push an addict into destructive behavior that can damage relationships, cause distrust in family members and strain family ties in various ways. When the addict seeks out treatment for substance abuse, they can find healing for their personal damage, but they’re not taking those they harmed into rehab with them.
It is only after initial treatment, when the addict is entering early recovery, they can try and address these wounds, but it is critical to start such work on resolving family conflicts in recovery.
Substance abuse can lead the addict into behaviors they would not consider at other times. In seeking any way to feed their addiction and get their latest fix, an addict will lie, cheat, steal and betray loved ones as long as they can get another drink or take another hit.
This is clearly not a good way to maintain a healthy relationship and addicts can find their family ties horribly strained or near broken due to such behavior. Even after addressing their addiction in rehab, and entering recovery for substance abuse, the addict will have lasting scars from such conflicts and have to work to resolve them once they are out of rehab and back in the real world.
But while the addict has just gone through a transformative experience in rehab, their family members have not. They are still in the same emotional state as before their loved one entered rehab and they may be less willing to forget and forgive initially.
Mending these family rifts must be a top priority for the recovering addict, though. Addicts in recovery fare much better when they have a strong support network and while friends and support group members can fill that role, there is nothing like a natural network of loved ones in your corner like your biological family.
It may not be easy to resolve some of the family conflicts that emerged before entering rehab. You may have betrayed someone’s trust or hurt them deeply on an emotional level. That doesn’t just go away with an apology. You may have to take time to earn their trust back, through word and deed, before they’re willing to fully forgive you.
But it can usually be done. In a healthy family dynamic, the natural response to sins from one member is love, and love can conquer most any conflict if given the opportunity.
At Good Landing Recovery, resolving family conflicts is emphasized as an important part of the recovery process. The addict may have done many things they regret while in the throes of substance abuse and they must learn, in addition to forgiving themselves, they must earn forgiveness from those they hurt, paying restitution in some way when necessary, to find the healing in their life for both themselves and their relationships.
Take heart when working to address these wounds. With love and grace, family conflicts can be overcome and resolved and the entire family can find recovery, not just the recovering addict.