Many who picture their families think of great outdoor barbeques with no clouds in the sky and soft grass underfoot. For others, the idea of family is dad in his chair with a beer watching TV for hours on end, sibling rivalries, and mom is nowhere to be seen.
Building a support system in treatment is key. Many will think of their families during this time. Sometimes family may not be the best for your support team? As someone in treatment one of your primary goals is to build a healthy support system. The support system you build should: give you strength, encourage your sobriety, be there to listen, and celebrate your victories with you. Healthy families are able to propel these needs of your support system.
Unhealthy families can bring you down, drink or use drugs while you are around, make you feel stupid for trying to quit, and overall not care whether you succeed or not. If you are going to recover you may have to set an unhealthy family environment aside for a time.
Your goal is to build a new family of support for your recovery process. Here are some qualities to build into your healthy support family.
Soberness
You need a support family that will do whatever it takes to help you in your recovery. Sometimes this means you will need to find those who live in sobriety. Others will be willing to not drink around you, or even quit altogether. A good pick for your support family will understand the extreme importance of staying sober around you to help you succeed 100%.
Experience
To have a healthy support family you will need some people who are in recovery themselves. Find people who have enough experience with recovery and also have a good chunk of recovery time under there belts.
Free from drama
Unhealthy people have a ton of drama in their lives. Drama creates stress, and stress triggers an addiction craving in many people. In order to have a healthy support family you will need to keep your distance from dramatic individuals.
Pessimist or Optimist?
You will feel less inspired when you are surrounded by people who always think the world is about to end. Surround yourself with people who see the best in others and the best in life. They will rub off on you, and soon you will find yourself looking at life in a positive way.
The Lakehouse Treatment Center understands the worlds of active addiction and active recovery. Years of comprehensive experience have helped us build a unique program focused on changing lives and rebuilding families. From detox to sober living, The Lakehouse program focuses on learning how to live and have fun again- a treatment experience like no other. Call us anytime: 877.762.3707