Drug & Alcohol Abuse for Parents

Parents struggling with addiction
Last Edited: November 12, 2020

Author
Matt Esaena

Clinically Reviewed
Andrew Lancaster, LPC, MAC

All of the information on this page has been reviewed and certified by an addiction professional.

After rehab you can share your happiness with your kids.

The wrath of addiction is real and there is no indignity in asking for help. We are talking about a disease that does not discriminate; it can mark anyone at anytime. When you abuse drugs and alcohol for a length of time, the neuropathways of the brain rewire, allowing the addiction to take over your mind, body and soul. Treatment will help you overcome your problem with drugs and or alcohol, while also help resolve the damage that has been done between you and your children.

As difficult as addiction is, finding the right treatment can be just as difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Finding treatment can seem overwhelming and intimidating, but it will pay off when you get to hold your children in your arms once again. All treatment facilities will have their own strengths and weaknesses, you just need to find the right therapy that will suit your needs.

You will come across treatment centers that utilize a 12-step program, while others might use a faith based approach. Some facilities will have a 30-day program; others will be 3 months. It truly just varies on what type of treatment you are looking for. Be sure to do some research to figure out what type of treatment would fit your needs best.

No one can get help for you- not your family, friends or children. You should have a passion for change. The decision is yours to make while you chose the facility that would be best for you. Keep in mind you have options and you are not alone. There are plenty of treatment centers, therapists, and support groups waiting for your call. Think of your children, and how they want their parent back.

What Drug & Alcohol Treatment Consists of

Drug and alcohol treatment facilities will help you get ready to go back into your children’s life, sober. Alcohol and drug addiction tends to change the way you behave. Behavioral changes can have an emotional impact on all aspects of your life, including the relationship with your children. During your time in treatment, you will put your energy into regenerating you and your children’s life in a safe and healthy way.

There are multitude rehabilitation centers to choose from. Some facilities concentrate in helping mothers and fathers, others will offer a range of addiction services. Treatment centers may also offer medical and psychiatric sessions, which would help you with co-occurring disorders and help you get to the root of your problem. Although crucial for your overall health, you are not forced to stay. You are permitted to depart at any time you choose. You are free to leave at any time, because treatment is only helpful when you have the passion to change. There are cases where you might be obligated to get into rehabilitation, such as a CPS case. The treatment can still be effective, even if you were initially reluctant to go.

Rehabilitation facilities have a collection of features from basic to luxury. The kind of treatment you will travel to rests on your finances and insurance coverage. Yes, luxury facilities present more features over just the basic facilities, but they are not always the smartest decision for your recovery, and in turn, for your children. You want to take the time and study your options before making your final decision.

After you make your decision, your first step is to go through detoxification, more commonly referred to as detox, at the hospital or treatment facility. Here is where you rid your body from all the toxins that drugs and alcohol encompass. You will be monitored by nurses and doctors, where they will administer medication to ease the withdrawal symptoms. Afterwards, when you have effectively detoxed, you will be ready for treatment.

Going to a treatment facility may be the best decision for you and your children’s life. A treatment center will help you change your attitude toward the world and make you a better person. It’s these treatment centers that will help you get past the denial of your addiction, so you will be ready to make a change for the better. If you feel as though you can’t do this for yourself, then do it for your children.

Learning Your Options: Inpatient vs Outpatient

If you are prepared to accept treatment for your drug and or alcohol problem, you are doing the right thing for you and your children. You are going to save your life. There are a multitude of outpatient and inpatient facilities. It might be tricky knowing which one will work best for you and your kids.

Just so you are aware, treatment is not a cure for your alcohol or drug addiction. Unfortunately, addiction is a never-ending cycle. Nevertheless, you can acquire skills to learn how to cope with your substance abuse through treatment so you can avoid abusing drugs and or alcohol and hurting your children in the future. Treatment Is designed to give you the tools, skills, information and self-confidence you need to walk away from abusing drugs and or alcohol.

You will need to take time to pick a treatment center. It is vital to your recovery, children and family to choose the right one. The time you put into your recovery is the time you are offering to save you and your children’s life. Inpatient treatment centers can last 28 days to 12 months depending on your treatment plan and life outside of your recovery. Inpatient is suggested for any individual struggling with addiction.

Inpatient treatment centers are used to reduce the likeliness of relapse during the hardest, most difficult time of your recovery. There are multiple choices of inpatient programs such as therapy-based programs, 12-step programs and multimodality programs. Though inpatient is highly recommended, there are outpatient treatment facilities, too.

Outpatient treatment facilities allow you to continue in your recovery while still active in other activities. Outpatient is good for people who have a job that doesn’t offer much time off. In outpatient, you will attend classes a few times a week and then go on with your life outside of recovery. Each treatment option has its advantages. Generally, you should enter an inpatient facility then move into outpatient for a successful recovery. If you feel like you can’t do this, please try for your children; they need you.

Detox & Withdrawal: Getting Through It For Your Kids

Detoxification or detox, is a process where all toxic chemicals left over from drugs and alcohol progressively leave your body. Detox is crucial to your treatment and rehabilitation plan. It may perhaps be a life or death circumstance. You may feel rough while the body is detoxing itself from all harmful chemicals. Sadly, there will be side effects of detox called withdrawals that consist of seizures, tremors, delirium and even fatality.

Because those side effects are probable, it is recommended to only detox when there is a doctor specially trained in detoxification present. The doctor will be there to supervise your symptoms and give medication such as Valium, Naltrexone, or Suboxone, if needed during treatment. These drugs will stop the hunger for drugs and alcohol and make the detoxification process easier to deal with.

Drug and alcohol detox is only the start. Detox can only do so much and wont destroy the cravings forever. Nevertheless, it is the first step you will take on the road to living a new life in recovery. Once you have detoxed, treatment must follow. In treatment, you will learn new, advantageous ways to substitute those behaviors you shaped while in active addiction. Treatment will also exchange your learned psychological and behavioral patterns with new behaviors through therapy.

You may become acquainted with therapeutic practices you might not be familiar with, such as family therapy. There is also a huge chunk of time spent in individual therapy to tackle your own insecurities and problems. Family therapy will allow you to rebuild a strong foundation with your children. Individual therapy will look at your problems on a personal level. This is the path you want to take. Do not hesitate, call us today.

Finding the Courage to Overcome Drug & Alcohol Addiction

Treatment for your drug and or alcohol addiction is intimidating and overwhelming. When struggling with your addiction, recovery can seem like an impossible goal to reach. Never mind the lies your addiction is expressing to you, recovery is on no occasion out of reach, no matter what despairing condition you think you might be in.

Transformation of self is real and you can attain the life you want with a little help from treatment, support and by speaking to the cause of your addiction. Do not give up on yourself –even if you gave recovery a shot in the past and had failed. You will face holdups, drawbacks and rough roads while trailing the road to happy destiny. But when you examine the problem and think about what good change could do for you and your children’s life, you will be on your way.

If you have been unsuccessful in the past and are frightened to commit to recovery, remember relapse is a part of recovery from addiction. Relapse is irritating and discouraging, but it is also gives you a chance to get back up and learn from your mistakes. It will allow you to recognize stressors and triggers, and right the way you were going about your recovery.

You need to keep reminding yourself that relapse does not mean failure and think of your children. There is no reason to give up on yourself, your life and your children. Pick up the phone and call your sponsor, take the kids to the park, go to a meeting, visit your parents and do something good for yourself. You and your family will be out of dangers way as soon as your sober. You can and you will choose recovery over alcohol and drugs again, just utilize your experience to strengthen your recovery. You can do this, do it for the kids. Never give up on yourself.

Why You Need Aftercare: It is All About the Routine

During your stay in treatment, you will have time to learn about yourself alongside with acquiring the information and tools you need to stay clean and sober for your family. The tools and information you desire will be exercised in a safe, helpful atmosphere.

When you leave treatment, the tools you have been educated in will be used to endure long lasting recovery, so you can be there for your kids. Sadly, it is easy for people to slip right back into their old routines and end up where they started. Creating a solid after care treatment plan will hold yourself responsible and can be vital to maintaining your recovery.

After you have completed treatment, it is crucial to start taking things one step at a time and putting you and your family’s life back in order. This could mean getting your children back, getting back into your work place or making amends to your family because they have been hurt by your addiction.

Making the decision to change your life may be nerve-wracking after being held responsible while in rehabilitation for a duration of time. Subsequently, therefore it is crucial to consider sober and transitional living. Sober and transitional living will offer you a safe place to stay while trying to live in the real world, there are places that accept children too. This living situation will offer you some accountability and structure that was seen in treatment. You will have the freedom to come and go as you please while you work, hang out with your kids or hit up meetings.

Transitional and sober living should be utilized with an outpatient program. Outpatient is considered an extension of treatment. You would be present a few nights a week and process feelings and discuss the ups and downs that seem to take emotional toll in the early stages of your recovery. If you follow this dual method as an aftercare treatment plan, there is a considerable chance at success in recovery than those who don’t.

In the early stages of your recovery, it is vital to create a routine with many options for you to process through feelings while staying busy enough for little downtime. Along with sober living and outpatient, there are other beneficial activities and service commitments to help yourself, your children and others. There are counseling sessions, family therapy, sober sporting activities and exercise to help keep your hunger for drugs and alcohol at bay while providing chances to release stress. Because there are so many chances in the life of recovery, it is important to schedule time for yourself and your kids. A good, balanced schedule can keep your mind off cravings while allowing you to cope with your new, healthier life.