How Family Involvement Helps Teen Substance Addiction Recovery

Table of Contents

This Article Discusses The Following:

  • The basics surrounding teen addiction.
  • The role of the family in helping during the recovery phase.
  • Challenges the family can experience.
  • How the family can also benefit from therapy during the recovery phase of teen addiction.

As a parent or a guardian of an adolescent struggling with teen addiction to certain drugs and substances, you might be concerned about how family can help the teen recover. While the challenges surrounding addiction to substances and alcohol can appear personal to the teen, the entire family can be affected by the addiction problems the teen is going through. For that reason, family members play a role in helping the teenager recover.

The family can also benefit from therapy and support during the process so that the team can have a wholesome recovery experience. How family members participate in the teen’s life during the recovery process can determine whether the recovery will be a success. To understand how family involvement helps teen substance addiction recovery, let’s first begin with how teen substance addiction treatment works and then the role of the family in recovery.

Understanding Teen Addiction

While different scientists have different understandings of the term addiction, the general conceptualization of the term bottles down to complete dependence on a specific substance.

For a teen to be considered addicted to a substance, they have to be in a situation where they cannot function well without consuming it. Addiction can arise from different factors, including genetic predisposition to addiction, habitual use of a substance, and many more.

What Are The Most Common Substances Abused By Teens?

Some of the most common substances abused by teens include:

Identifying The Signs And Symptoms Of Teen Addiction

The process of families helping teens overcome drug addiction begins by first identifying the signs of drug abuse. In many instances, teens may try to hide their drug use problem from their parents and other family members because of the fear of punishment, stigma, or ridicule. That is why parents should be gentle if they want to assist their teens in overcoming the issues.

Some of the indicative signs and symptoms of teen drug use include:

  • Sudden change in behavioral tendencies and personality.
  • Possession of drug paraphernalia, such as cigarettes, bongs, lighters, syringes, bottles of alcohol or weed rolling papers.
  • Physical changes, including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and staggers when walking.
  • Behavioral changes, including sudden secretiveness and interest in looking for money or addicted to stealing.

The Impact of Teen Addiction on Family Relationships

It is never a good experience for a family to have a teen experiencing addiction to certain substances. Teen addiction adversely affects family relationships since the teens might begin developing certain behavioral tendencies that can cause a strain on how the people in the family interact with each other. Teen addiction can also result in conflict among family members, which can have long-term effects if not addressed early in advance. A teen outpatient program can provide the necessary support and treatment.

The Role of Family in Recovery

Enabling Behaviors In Families of Teen Addicts

It is an instinct for parents to protect their children from their worst impulses. This explains why parents with children facing addiction issues would want to protect them from the societal implications of such issues. While it is natural for parents to protect their children, they often must balance protecting and enabling them.

In simple terms, enabling is when parents, guardians, and other family members make light of the addiction problem and fail to address it head-on. If you are curious whether your actions are enabling drug addiction among teenagers in your family, here are some pointers to look out for:

  • Are you shielding your teen from the consequences of drug use?
  • Are you punishing them and yet failing to follow through on their punishment?
  • Are you living in denial about their drug addiction issues and making light of them?
  • Are you accepting the teens’ lies or stories regarding drug use without verification?
  • Are you still giving the teens their regular allowance, knowing well that they will use the money for drug use?

If you have answered all these questions in the affirmative, it might be possible that you might be enabling the drug abuse and addiction problem.

How Can Enabling Behaviors Impact The Teen’s Recovery Process?

Enabling behaviors is one of the biggest impediments to teenagers’ ability to recover from addiction issues fully. Here are some ways enabling behaviors impact the teen recovery process:

  • It keeps them from appreciating that they have an addiction issue that might require expert help
  • Teenagers are unable to get the help they need since their family members make light of the addiction problem
  • Teenagers might not follow through with the recovery process and are likely to relapse
  • Teens may fail to reach rock bottom, which is the situation where they have no access to drugs due to unavailability or lack of funds. Rock bottom is essential in recovery since it gives teens insight that they need help for their addiction.

Since addiction issues affect the family as much as they affect the teen, families play a critical role in helping them recover from their condition. The role of family members in the recovery process can be divided into two elements: first, the family members need to encourage the teen to seek help for their addiction, and second, create a supportive environment for the teen to recover well.

How to Encourage a Teen to Seek Help for Addiction

Teens suffering from addiction might feel ashamed to put themselves and their family members in such a position. They may need encouragement to accept that they have a problem and pursue help for their addiction issues. If a teen is unwilling to seek help for their addiction issues, it can be difficult to help them. Family members can encourage teens with addiction to seek help from organizations like Key Healthcare, which can provide the full range of teen addiction therapy services that can help them kick the habit and get better. Part of this encouragement process should include fostering positive thinking for teens, emphasizing that recovery is a journey, and reminding them of their ability to overcome challenges and make positive changes.

How To Create A Supportive Environment For A Teen In Recovery

The recovery process from teen addiction is full of hurdles and impediments which can keep a teen from following through. Without the proper environment of support and encouragement, some teens may fall off the wagon and relapse into drug use. Family members can create a supportive environment for a teen in recovery through the following:

  • Continually encouraging by affirming that they are making progress
  • Assisting whenever it is required
  • Being supportive by taking them to their sessions and picking them up when the sessions are complete
  • Avoiding being critical, confrontational, and accusatorial against the teenager during recovery

What Are Some Challenges That Families May Face During The Recovery Process?

As mentioned above, the recovery process is daunting for family members and teens. Some of the common challenges experienced by family members with a team in the addiction recovery phase include:

  • Ridicule from other people in the community
  • Stigma
  • Isolation and loneliness
  • Financial challenges, especially when the family has to pay for therapy from out of pocket

What Are Some Strategies For Families To Avoid Enabling Behaviors?

Some of the strategies families can use to avoid enabling behaviors or nip them right in the bud include:

  • Defining the relationship between the family member in the team with addiction issues to reduce dependence
  • Addressing financial issues come up which can be a critical enabler of drug use

  • Having serious conversations with teens suffering from drug abuse to help them understand the gravity of the situation along with the teenage drug abuse facts.

Family Therapy For Teen Addiction

When a teen in a family is battling addiction, the issue affects the entire family. It is no surprise that some people consider teen addiction to be a family disease. For that reason, family members might also need some therapy to help them overcome the nature of the teen’s addiction. Teen family therapy for adolescent addiction is also crucial in helping the family members devise intervention strategies and learn how to support the teens as they recover from their addiction.

Types of Family Therapy For Teen Addiction

Family therapy for teen addiction varies depending on the preferences and aims of the family members. Some examples of family therapy to try include:

Generally, the form of therapy a family can get and benefit from will also depend on the evaluation from a qualified family therapist. Getting a therapist that works for you is crucial for the well-being of the teen and to help mitigate the effects of teen addiction on the family.

How To Find A Family Therapist For Teen Addiction

In most cases, the best way to find a family therapist for teen addiction is by getting a referral from your primary caregiver. Consider asking the therapist helping your teen with their addiction problem for a recommendation or if they are willing to take up therapy for the entire family as a whole. Alternatively, speaking to your insurance provider can be a good idea to find out which therapists are covered under your family’s insurance policy. Finally, considering that much information on qualified family therapists is available online, you might want to look up the reviews on different service providers for insight.

What Are Some Common Techniques Used In Family Therapy For Teen Addiction?

The techniques that apply in family therapy are often similar to those used in standard therapy for teen addiction. Ordinarily, therapists can use strategies, such as motivational interviewing, solution-focused brief therapy techniques, and narrative therapy for families just starting out the therapy process.

Support Groups For Families of Teen Addicts

Support groups have historically been a good way for people with similar challenges to help each other overcome them. In the context of families of teen addicts, support groups can be a good way for the family members to get help from people with teen addicts in their families.

Generally, a good support group would involve people meeting regularly, sharing with each other what they have been going through, and providing each other with tips on how to overcome different challenges.

While some support groups can run in a structured format with a licensed therapist directing the conversation, you can also have a support group that is largely informal, provided you all support each other in the challenges you are going through.

How To Find A Support Group For Families Of Teen Addicts

As with getting family therapy for families of teen addicts, getting a support group can be a good idea if you get one from the recommendation of your regular caregiver. Alternatively, you can also find a group from your community and reach out to them if you want to develop an informal support group.

Always ensure that you are comfortable with the support group members since you might find yourself sharing a lot of sensitive and personal information with them. If you are not comfortable, you might get the full benefits associated with support groups.

Overcoming The Fear And Shame Associated With Teen Addiction

Families with teens battling addiction problems often have to go through many psychological issues, especially those involving fear and shame. Addiction is often associated with a lot of stigmas, considering that many people think addiction is self-inflicted and is not a disease. For families with teen addiction, overcoming the fear and the stigma can help the teen get better after a period of therapy or recovery.

What Are Some Common Fears And Stigmas Associated With Teen Addiction?

Some of the fears and stigmas surrounding teen addiction include the following:

  •  Fear of ridicule attributable to other people in the community judging the family.
  •  Possible legal repercussions associated with teen drug use.
  •  Some families may be afraid of losing their teens to the long-term effects of drug use.
  •  Possible emotional and physical impacts that teen addiction might have on the family, including long-term conflict.

What Are Some Strategies for Families to Cope With Feelings of Shame or Embarrassment Related to Teen Addiction?

Overcoming the shame, fears, and embarrassment related to teen addiction is essential to help families overcome the addiction problem. One of the main strategies families can use to cope with such feelings is having open communication channels in the family and with other people in the community.

A culture of honesty within the family can allow the teen to be open in such a way that the fears can be addressed effectively. Family members should also speak to professionals to ensure that any challenges that might be too overwhelming for them are addressed from a medical point of view.

Relapse Prevention Strategies For Families Of Teen Addicts

A significant responsibility that families have when helping teens overcome addiction is trying to help them avoid the possibility of relapse. Since relapse is a common threat among teens with addiction, families need to anticipate the possibility of relapse for them to combat the addiction problem effectively. To avoid having a situation where addiction persists even after treatment, families should pay attention to the possible triggers of relapse, the signs that might indicate that a teen addict is going through a relapse, and develop strategies for intervention.

What Are Some Common Triggers for Relapse in Teen Addiction?

The main trigger for relapse among teens with addiction is an environment that accommodates drug use. Allowing a teen to go to parties where there is a possibility of drug or alcohol use can cause relapse for them. Additionally, some stressful situations, such as excessive schoolwork, conflict at home, or strained relationships with friends and family, can lead to relapse if not handled well.

How Can Families Help Their Teen Develop Coping Skills to Prevent Relapse?

The following are some strategies families can use to help develop coping mechanisms against relapse after teen addiction treatment:

  • Encouraging open channels of communication, especially when addressing the challenges they are going through.
  • Supporting the team during the recovery process and even after recovery.
  • Encouraging continued communication with therapists and other licensed practitioners in the teen addiction recovery sector in case they need professional help.

What Are Some Signs That a Teen May Be At Risk for Relapse, and What Can Families do to Intervene?

Family members should take note of any possible behavioral changes among teenagers, as that could be a key indication that they may be back to drug use. Behavioral changes such as increased secrecy can indicate that something might not be going on well, necessitating the intervention of family members. In such a situation, family members should attempt to intervene by providing a supportive environment and encouraging the teen to ask for help in case they need it.

Conclusion

Many people thinking about the effect of teen addiction often think about the teens and what they are going through. While teens are the primary people affected by the addiction problem, the family itself also encounters some challenges.

Family members play a crucial role in recovery by encouraging and supporting the teen as they get better. However, even as families support their teens, they can also benefit from therapy and support from organizations, like Key Healthcare, to help them come to terms with the addiction and get tips on how best to help in the meantime.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Are Some Effective Ways To Communicate With A Teen Struggling With Addiction?

Communication techniques are vital to ensure that a teen struggling with addiction overcomes the issues they are battling through proper therapy. The best way to communicate with a teen with addiction (like teen marijuana addiction and adolescent opiate addiction) is to adopt a non-judgmental stance, where the communication is open and clear, without accusations. Family members should avoid blaming the teen but should make all possible attempts to give assistance toward recovery. You can also read our guide on how to communicate with your teenager.

What Should I Do If My Teen Refuses To Get Help For Their Addiction?

Teens refusing to get help for addiction problems can be concerning for family members. However, this should not make you feel discouraged. Continue expressing your concern and encouraging the teen to take small steps towards getting better. It is important to consider educating yourself on possible intervention strategies through research and seeking professional help in case things get intense.

How Can I Balance Supporting My Teen With Their Recovery While Also Taking Care Of Myself?

For parents, caregivers, and family members, caring for a teen when they are recovering from addiction can take up all your energy. Even when this happens, you need to remember the importance of self-care and setting clear boundaries so that you also take care of yourself in the meantime. Also, seeking professional family therapy can help you better care for yourself even as you care for your teen.

What Is The Success Rate Of Family Therapy For Teen Addiction?

From anecdotal evidence, family therapy is quite effective in providing help for families with teens battling addiction. For example, one study notes a 75% success rate over a 5-year follow-up plan.

Can Family Therapy Be Done Virtually?

Yes, family therapy can run virtually. If you think your therapist is too far or want to save costs on the commute to the therapist, then you can hop on a video conferencing platform with your family members to have the family therapy session. Doing so can be quite beneficial since it won’t be necessary for family members who live far from each other to travel for the sessions.