A number of family-related factors can increase your risk of becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol. When addiction is present, those same factors may continue to affect you. In addition, the consequences of addiction may damage your family unit in a variety of ways. For these reasons, an effective addiction therapy program often includes family therapy. This form of treatment can help you address a range of issues affecting you and your loved ones. The result is often an improved family environment and a more stable addiction recovery.
What Is a Family Therapy Program?
Family therapy is also known as family counseling. This form of treatment acknowledges your family’s tremendous impact on your substance use. It also acknowledges the immense impact your substance use can have on your family.
Multiple kinds of family issues can increase your risks of getting involved in substance use. The same issues can also make ongoing use and abuse more likely. Specific problems that may have affected you now or in the past include:
- An unstable home life
- Permissive parental attitudes toward drugs or alcohol
- Having a parent affected by substance problems
- The presence of abuse or neglect within the home
- Dysfunctional family communication styles
Active addiction also typically places families of affected people under serious strain. Impacts on your particular family unit may include things such as financial instability or damaged or absent trust. In addition, substance use can also lead to broken or severed relationships and a generally chaotic environment. Family therapy can address all such issues within your family. It does so with the goal of providing useful solutions and ways of moving forward.
What Happens in Family Counseling Sessions?
Family therapy programs tend to involve group therapy sessions. All interested members of your family unit may attend these sessions. A trained therapist oversees the process. Each family member gets time to talk, where they can discuss their concerns, grievances, and hopes during their time. Your therapist guides this airing of viewpoints in constructive ways.
When specific problems are identified, your therapist may ask you to work on them between sessions. Progress toward a positive outcome is then measured when the next session begins. This process is repeated and refined as family counseling proceeds over time.
Benefits of a Family Therapy Program
Effective family therapy programs have a variety of known benefits in drug and alcohol treatment. The list of these benefits includes:
- A more functional family unit
- The chance for you and your family members to heal and grow
- An increased willingness to participate in your treatment
- Greater chances of completing treatment
- Improved treatment results
Such outcomes are possible for both adults and teenagers. If your family members have substance problems, the process may also help them improve.
Family therapy can also help you enlist your loved ones as allies in addiction recovery. When this happens, you gain an additional source of support for your recovery efforts. In turn, this family support can be a deciding factor in your long-term treatment success.
Begin Recovery at Northpoint Colorado
Do you need a family therapy program in Loveland, CO? The addiction specialists at Northpoint Colorado are here to assist you. We include family counseling among our many options for drug and alcohol recovery. With our help, you can start to overcome the addiction-related issues affecting you and your family. In turn, you may also boost your odds of achieving lasting sobriety.
Northpoint Colorado can add family therapy to any customized treatment plan. That’s true no matter how you’ve been affected by addiction. Call us today at 888.231.1281 to learn more about our counseling services. You can also reach us through our brief online form.