Family members can often struggle to know how best to support their loved one in their journey to overcoming addiction. Here, we will look at the various ways families can be involved in their loved one’s recovery process and support their own well-being at the same time, as well as the available resources that can help with this.
- Involving families in an individual’s recovery process can provide many benefits, including improvements in communication and problem-solving within the home and a better understanding of addiction and recovery needs.
- Many different resources are available, including professional interventions, peer-led support groups, and self-directed online education.
- Family members supporting a loved one should be mindful of their own personal and emotional needs and may require support to manage this.
Why families need addiction support resources
Substance use concerns tend to affect not only the individual using substances, but also the people around them, including their family and friends. The link between an individual’s addiction and their family members can be complex, and this can affect the family in different ways. For example, family members might experience the following: [1][2]
- Extreme stress and anxiety about the well-being of their loved one, and a sense of responsibility to keep them safe.
- Feelings of anger, guilt, and frustration around their loved one’s substance use.
- Codependent or reinforcing relationships, in which they struggle to know how to help their loved one and inadvertently support their substance use or harm their own well-being in the process.
- Mistrust, manipulation, or exploitation from their loved one, leading to breakdowns in relationships and, in some cases, physically, emotionally, or financially abusive relationships.
- Financial stress, including their loved one spending money allocated for necessary expenses, creating debts, or stealing.
- Severe emotional and developmental harm to children in the home, leading to increased risks of psychological and substance use as they age.
Involving families in recovery can be very beneficial. This can provide the opportunity to rebuild damaged relationships, prevent or reduce psychological impacts on children and partners, improve communication within the family, and work on collaborative goal setting. [2]
Professional options for families or couples affected by addiction
Understanding and navigating a loved one’s recovery process can be an overwhelming and challenging experience. It can be helpful for family members to engage with professional and community services to support their well-being and improve their skills and resilience while supporting a loved one.
Some family therapy options include: [3][4]
- Systemic-motivational therapy: Combines systemic family therapy and motivational interviewing (MI) to support families in the treatment of alcohol use disorder and other substance use concerns.
- Psychoeducation: Provides families with information to better understand addiction, treatment, and the impact of their support, while developing family problem-solving and communication skills.
- Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT): Supports families with adolescents with substance use concerns dealing with criminal behaviors or related issues by working with adolescents, parents, and wider community systems to manage multiple interacting risk factors systematically.
- Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT): Works with intimate partners to improve relationships in which one person has a substance use concern, improving communication and support, and reinforcing abstinence.
- Behavioral Family Therapy (BFT): Based on BCT, BFT focuses on the individual’s substance use concerns within the family dynamic, helping build communication and problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, and contractual agreements and accountability.
- Functional family therapy: Improves dysfunctional family dynamics and behavioral patterns that contribute to or reinforce adolescent substance use.
Community services available to families
Some community-based options include: [3][5]
- Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT): Utilizes community and family reinforcement in a structured approach to encourage the person with substance use concerns to alter their behavior.
- Network therapy: Engages a small group of family and friends to support the individual to begin and maintain abstinence, working together to prevent relapse and actively support recovery.
- Family peer recovery support services: A nonclinical specialist provides the family with education, resources, and support, including referring to or creating links with available professional and community services.
- Workshops: Often, local service providers host family workshops to provide practical skills and educational support.
Family support programs and peer resources
There are many different support groups and peer-led resources available for families of people with addiction, including:
- SMART Recovery Family & Friends: SMART Family & Friends provides strategies and skill development through worksheets, handbooks, group meetings, podcasts, and blogs.
- Al-Anon: Al-Anon is an offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous, providing support groups across the US for families of people with alcohol use concerns based on the same Twelve Step principles.
- Alateen: Alateen is for young people affected by a loved one’s alcohol use. They provide online and in-person meetings across the US and educational resources online.
- Nar-Anon: Nar-Anon supports families of people with any type of substance addiction and also uses the Twelve Step principles in their group meetings.
- Learn to Cope: Learn to Cope offers meetings, education, and other resources for families of people affected by addiction.
- Families Anonymous: Families Anonymous uses the Twelve Steps to support families of people with any substance or behavioral addiction, through group meetings and educational resources.
- Grief Recovery After Substance Passing (GRASP): GRASP offers meetings and online resources to support people who have lost someone due to substance use.
Self-care resources for families
Family members can experience a serious emotional toll when supporting a loved one. Because of this, it is important to prioritize self-care: maintaining and improving physical, emotional, and mental well-being through self-directed or professional approaches. For example: [5][6]
- Psychotherapy/talk therapy: Individual therapy can be crucial to helping the family member feel safe and supported, giving them time to express themselves freely and manage any negative emotions they might be experiencing because of their loved one’s recovery process or any other personal circumstances. Therapists can also help family members understand and set boundaries, ensuring they protect themselves from the potential impacts of addiction.
- Mindfulness: Mindfulness, meditation, stress management, and relaxation techniques can be helpful self-care tools. Intense emotions, including anxiety and anger, as well as behavioral reactions such as hypervigilance and difficulty handling increased stress, can be common among family members. These tools can help to recognize and cope with these feelings.
- Workshops: There might be workshops available in the community or through healthcare services that can teach skills to manage these emotional responses among peers.
- General well-being: Exercise, sleep hygiene, and eating healthily are important to maintaining general well-being and can be easily neglected when coping with a challenging situation such as supporting a loved one’s recovery process. Family members should prioritize these aspects of self-care.
National drug and alcohol family resources
Families can use the following resources provided by US governmental organizations:
- For mental health or substance abuse help, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text your ZIP code to HELP4U (435748)
- Search for local treatments
- Alcohol treatment navigator
Special resources for different family needs
Different family members may have different concerns and support needs when a loved one is experiencing addiction. The following resources offer information, guidance, and support tailored to parents, spouses and partners, and children affected by parental substance use.
Resources for parents
Parents of a child or young person with addiction may benefit from the following resources:
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Educational resources for parents and educators.
- Drug Free America: Substance use prevention resources and educational resources for parents.
- Partnership to End Addiction: Support for families and educational resources.
- Partnership for Drug-Free Kids: Resources for parents to help prevent drug use.
- The Prevention Team: Support and resources for parents of children with substance use concerns.
- Council for Prevention: Educational resources and workshops for parents.
Resources for spouses and partners
Resources to support spouses and partners of people with addiction include:
- Couple Recovery: Online workshops, educational resources, and support for couples affected by addiction
- National Domestic Violence Hotline - 800-799-SAFE (3150): Resources and support for people experiencing violence in the home.
- Recovering Couples Anonymous: Meetings and online resources to support couples affected by addiction.
Resources for children of parents with addiction
Children affected by parental addiction can utilize these resources:
- National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA): Resources to support children affected by addiction.
- Alateen: Support groups for children affected by alcohol abuse.
- Sesame Workshop: Resources and support for children affected by parental addiction.
- Hazelden Betty Ford: Resources for children affected by addiction.
- Youth Crisis Line: 1-800-448-4663.
When should families seek immediate help
Call 911 if there is a medical emergency, including if an overdose is suspected and the individual is unconscious, struggling to breathe, or experiencing a seizure.
Similarly, call 911 or find a place of safety if you are in immediate danger or are concerned for the safety of someone else.
If it is not a medical emergency, you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Family recovery toolkit
The following toolkit can help families take practical steps to support recovery while also protecting their own well-being.
1. Learn the signs of substance use disorder.
Being able to recognize signs of substance use disorder can help family members support their loved one in entering the recovery process or recognize if there is a risk of relapse. This might include emotional and behavioral changes, increased secrecy, withdrawing from social activities, physical withdrawal symptoms, or impaired self-care. [2][3]
2. Create a family support plan.
Discuss as a family how best to support your loved one and others within the family dynamic. This might include agreeing to attend family therapy together once a week, defining personal boundaries, deciding how to maintain supportive communication, and discussing how to hold your loved one accountable for their progress and goals. [2][3]
3. Prepare for crisis situations.
Create a crisis plan, including who to contact in emergency situations, how to help your loved one de-escalate or stay safe, and what to do in case of an overdose. Families of individuals with opioid use concerns may benefit from storing naloxone (Narcan) in the house to use in an overdose emergency. [3]
4. Build a relapse-response plan.
Preparing for triggers, temptations, and potential relapses can be a crucial part of recovery, as these situations are common. With your loved one, and maybe with the guidance of a therapist or other professional, write a relapse plan that outlines who to contact and what to do should a relapse occur. [3]
5. Use professional and community resources.
Decide which professional and community resources the individual can utilize. Similarly, families should prioritize their own mental, emotional, and physical well-being by attending support groups or professional appointments and engaging in self-care techniques. [5]
Final thought
Supporting a loved one with an addiction or their recovery process can be difficult, particularly when this impacts children. Utilizing professional, community, and peer-led resources can help you navigate this situation and provide a range of skills to help your loved one with their recovery while protecting your own well-being.
